Uninvited
by Chocolua
Summary: Five years after Edward leaves her, Bella moves to Alaska to work at Denali. She meets someone - a visitor to the Denali vampire clan - that will change her life forever. Includes the Denali vamps, Jacob, the Cullens, and lemons!
1. chapter 1 prologue

Prologue

BELLA' S POV

As I stood in the shadow of Mt. McKinley, I couldn't believe the beauty that surrounded me. June in Alaska was breathtaking. The meadows were lush and green, scattered with wildflowers and knee-high grass; the mountains were alive with shifting colors. Despite all me reservations, I was glad that I had come here.

Alaska. Denali. In a roundabout way, this place held meaning for me, even though I had never been here before. It was because I knew that somewhere, within only a few miles were Tanya and Kate, and the rest of the Denali clan. Tanya and Kate were, for all intents and purposes, the extended family of ones that I loved very much, ones that I had one day hoped to call my own family. The Cullens. And Edward.

Edward. Even though it had been five years since he abandoned me sobbing and broken in the forest, my heart still constricted at the thought of him, at the mere mention of his name. So now, as I did every time I felt that constriction, I forced myself to say aloud, "Edward Cullen is not part of your life. He doesn't want you. He left you. You're better off without him."

There was no one around to hear me but the meadowlarks. And they weren't going to tell me how ridiculous I sounded talking to myself. Besides, I already knew. But hey, it worked for me.

It had taken me years – literally years – to get over Edward Cullen and what he had done to me. And by that, I mean how he ripped the still-beating heart out of my chest, threw it on the ground, stomped on it with both feet, and then handed it back to me before he walked away without looking back. I'm still not sure how I survived. There were times that I didn't want to; I was sure that death couldn't possibly be any more painful than enduring life without Edward.

If it hadn't been for Charlie, my dad, I think I'd still be holed up in my room in a severe state of depression. But after a while of being understanding and minding his own business, Charlie had enough. One day, he stomped into my room, threw back the covers of my bed that I was buried under, and ordered me to get up. And Charlie never ordered me to do anything. So I did what he told me. I got up. And I've been grateful to him ever since.

It was difficult finishing up high school in my hometown of Forks, Washington. It seemed like everywhere I turned held a memory of Edward. But I think that what made it worse was the complete absence of the Cullens. Just knowing that they were gone, that I wouldn't see Emmett flying down the road in his lifted Jeep, that Alice wouldn't be dropping by, that Carlisle wasn't at the hospital, left a void in my life that I was never quite able to fill. And only compounded the misery that I felt being without Edward.

I wasn't sure when they left Forks. I only knew that it was shortly after Edward did. Charlie broke the news to me carefully. I think he was afraid I would go comatose again when I found out. He gave me a note, told me it was from Edward's sister Alice, my best friend. It took me a long time to read because I was crying so hard.

_Dear Bella,_

_When I tell you that writing this is the hardest thing that I've ever had to do, you know how much that statement means. I love you like a sister, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but I must. We are leaving Forks. All of us. For all our sakes. I am so very sorry about what happened between you and Edward. I can only hope that one day you understand that it was for the best. And that you don't hate him – or us – for leaving you. Please believe me that you've made an indelible impression on each and every one of us, and that we'll never forget you. We love you, Bella. Have a happy life. Goodbye, my beloved sister._

_Alice_

Even now, five years later, I still missed the Cullens. Especially Alice. And Edward. Like the old saying promised, time did heal my wounds. But is didn't make me forget.

I continued on, though. I began spending a lot of time in the forest, haunting the places the Edward had spent time – places where he had hunted, had walked, had run. Initially I did it because it made me feel closer to him; then gradually I came to realize that I loved the forest. The trees, the flowers, the wildlife – they fascinated me. I found books, scoured the Internet, reading all I could on the subject. And when the time came for me to go to college, I knew exactly what I wanted to study. A month ago, I graduated from Washington State with a degree in forestry. And now, here I am, an employee at Alaska's Denali National Park.

It's funny how life moves in circles. My losing Edward was what led me to my love of the forest; my love of the forest led me to Denali; Denali was home to Tanya and Kate and the rest of their family, who were a link – though tenuous – to Edward.

It was going to take all the strength that I had within me to remain focused on my job and not let my proximity to the Denali clan distract me.

After all, Edward was my past. The Cullens were no longer a part of my life. And I wanted to live for the future.


	2. Chapter 2

All things _Twilight _belong to Stephenie Meyer!

BELLLA'S POV

It was cloudy when I stepped out of my house on the outskirts of Denali Village. It definitely looked like snow. Good. That meant that I could spend a good portion of the morning with Travis, the orphaned bear cub we were watching after at the park, without feeling guilty. We – my partner and I – were trying to teach Travis to hunt in preparation for his return to the wild.

I would miss the cub. He had been my project for three months, since we discovered him next to his dead mother, the victim of a vicious mountain lion attack. Or, I conceded, what we _identified_ as a mountain lion attack. I had not mentioned that I had seen other animals killed that way – neck snapped and throat torn – before. Nor had I mentioned that I knew exactly what had killed the bear, and that it hadn't been a mountain lion.

In my six months in Denali, I hadn't physically seen Kate, Tanya, their family, or any other vampires, for that matter. But I knew that they were around. I frequently found evidence: a bull elk found dead by the river, a small herd of deer that we had been tracking gone missing, the bear. At least I knew that the Denali clan was still adhering to the vegetarian vampiric lifestyle.

The first time I found the remains of an animal killed in what I knew was the vampire method, I had been uneasy. Even though I knew they were close by, until then I had been able to push their presence to the back of my mind. But seeing the evidence of their closeness, knowing that they walked the same paths that I walked, forced me to deal with the reality that they were very near.

And now I just accepted it as the way things were.

The wind blew fiercely as I made my way to my Jeep. I had just enough time to stop for coffee before I had to be at the station. I hoped that the roads out to the station weren't drifted over. It looked like we'd gotten a good four inches of snow overnight.

I pulled out of my driveway and onto the narrow two-lane road that led into the Denali Village. The Village housed mostly park employees and a few Alaskans during the winter, and in the summer was a stopping place for tourists. For me, it was home.

I could feel a headache building as the base of my skull, and yearned for that first shot of caffeine that my daily venti café latte would bring me. It still boggled my mind how Starbucks had found its way to Denali Village, Alaska, but I was profoundly thankful for who or whatever was responsible for the shop's presence only a block away from my house.

If only they would put in a drive-thru.

The parking lot was nowhere near full, but it was early. I parked next to – and admired – a sleek black Range Rover. "Nice," I said to myself as I climbed out of my Jeep.

The wind was brutally cold, and I tugged my black stocking hat farther down over my thick, chestnut brown hair. I burrowed my hands deep into the pockets of my North Face parka and jogged to the door.

I always loved the scent of coffee in the morning. As I stepped into the café, warmth swirled around me, as did the smell of freshly ground coffee beans and pastries. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _Heavenly_.

"Good morning," the barista called from her place behind the counter. They were always so annoyingly perky for six in the morning.

But I answered, "Morning," back and, stepping up to the counter, placed my order.

While I waited for the barista to prepare my drink, I glanced around at the other people in the café. There weren't many – only two. An older gentleman in a plaid wool cap sat next to the window sipping cautiously from his cup and reading what appeared to be a Bible. _Do us all a favor_, I thought, _and pray for an early spring._

I couldn't see the other man. He sat in front of the fireplace with his back toward me. All I could tell about him was that he had fantastic wavy blonde hair. The kind that you itched to get your fingers into.

"Here you go, miss."

I turned back to the counter, and took the drink that the barista held out to me. "Thanks," I said.

"Have a wonderful day," she chirped. I didn't answer. There was only so much perky a person could take.

Just then, someone came in the door, and with her a blast of cold air that stirred the room. It blew my hair wildly under my cap.

I saw the blonde man straighten in his chair like he'd been shot.

_Odd,_ I thought, then brushed off his reaction as merely a response to the frigid air. But then he stood stiffly, and I couldn't help but admire the man. He was tall and lanky, with broad shoulders and an _absolutely perfect_ – God, look at that – ass.

Then he turned, and my eyes met his – impossibly gold, like liquid amber.

The shock hit me with so great a force that I tool a step backward and dropped my cup. It hit the floor with a thud, sending a flood of latte across the tiles.

A wave of memories so powerful that I could barely breathe rolled over me, paralyzing me. I was unable to move, unable to look away from his golden gaze. In his eyes I saw the shock that I felt.

And then the barista was there, gathering up the downed cup and saying, "It's OK, I'll get you another right away."

By the time I looked back up, he was gone, and all I saw was a black Range Rover speeding out of the lot.

Stunned, all I could do was whisper, "Jasper."

JASPER'S POV

God, I needed some peace and quiet.

I love Tanya and Kate and the rest of their family like they were my own, but sometime a man just needed to be alone. I felt bad ditching them, leaving without telling them and taking off into town. After all, they had given me a home when I had nowhere else to go. They had given me understanding and support when I had been cast away. But Christ, I needed to fucking think. Where it was quiet.

I liked the coffee shop. It was pretentious and comforting at the same time. And best of all, I could be alone and on one would bother me.

I ordered something called a London Fog simply because I liked the sound of it. Of course, I wouldn't actually drink it. But it did give me the right to park my ass in a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace and settle in with my thoughts.

Which were fucking swirling around in my head.

For an empath, I was a wreck. Imagine, someone who has the ability to influence others' feelings not being able to get a handle on his own.

_You're a goddamn disgrace_, I told myself, disgusted with the state of my current situation.

I had been in Denali for almost six months now, and my emotions had only just begun to level. When I first came to Tanya and Kate it had been out of necessity – I was teetering on the edge of destruction and knew that if I didn't go to them, I would do something I would regret.

It still angered me how much I fell apart after Alice asked – no, not asked, _told_ – me to leave. I fought it; I didn't understand. Something about a vision she had of me turning a human. She wouldn't tell me who – hell, maybe she didn't even know – just that she couldn't be with me knowing what I was going to do.

The truth is, I wasn't surprised by Alice's vision. I never really believed that I had the strength to uphold the vegetarian lifestyle that the Cullens practiced, that I wouldn't slip up sooner or later. But I hadn't expected to be banished from the family because of it. I knew that things had been strained for a while, ever since I lost control of myself and went after Edward's Bella a few years ago.

I still felt terrible about that. In my mind's eye I could still see the look of her face, feel the terror that had radiated out from her. And the anger and disappointment of my family.

Things were never the same after that. And Alice's vision had been the last straw.

I missed my family. I had accepted the loss of Alice as my mate, but I had not yet accepted the loss of my family as a whole. I was directionless without Carlisle and Esme; I felt the absence of Alice's understanding; I craved a good hunt with my brothers; hell, I even longed to hear Rosalie's bitching. Yes, I missed my family.

The Denali clan had done their best to welcome me, to give me a place in their family. But it wasn't the same. And I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

I heard voices behind me, and it registered that there was a customer at the counter. The irritation that the customer felt at the chipper attitude of the barista made me smile. I shared her annoyance.

Then the door opened and the wind blew in, stirring the air and sending scents swirling. It caught me off-guard. It was a scent that I hadn't caught for five years. But it was unmistakable. I was instantly alert, forcing myself to stay calm.

I had to see her, she who had been the catalyst to me losing everything and everyone I loved.

I stood slowly, deliberately keeping control of each muscle in my body. And I turned to face her.

Bella Swan.

She had grown up, grown beautiful. I saw – and felt – her shock, then panic, when she saw and recognized me. Her emotions mirrored my own.

I saw her take a step backward, drop her cup. And I ran. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I ran away. I didn't care who saw me move at vampire speed. I had to get out of there, or I would have attacked her.

I felt an intense anger at the sight of her. Even though I regretted my actions toward her, she had cost me _so much_. I had lost my family and my home because of her. In reality, I may as well have drained her that day five years ago.

What was she doing here? She had to have known that Tanya and Kate and their family were nearby. Why would she come here? And why hadn't Tanya and Kate told me? There was no way that Isabella Swan was in the vicinity without them knowing of her presence.

Resolved to get some answers, I sped along the icy roads toward the chalet where Tanya and Kate lived, deep in the shadow of the mountain.


	3. Chapter 3

Obviously, I don't own anything _Twilight_ – it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer, but you guys know that already!

BELLA'S POV

Seriously, what were the chances that I would run into Edward's brother in Starbucks in BF Alaska? Vampires didn't even drink coffee, for God's sake!

What the _hell_ was he doing here?

But really, I already knew the answer. He had to be here visiting Tanya and Kate, just like he probably had many times in the last five years. I just hadn't seen him before. However, it made me feel better to be righteously indignant at his presence in Denali. This was _my_ home. I had made a life for myself here. I had moved on, left the Cullens in the past.

_Damn_ him for coming here. _Damn_ him for making me think about them. _Damn_ him for making me remember.

With each curse, I swung the ax I had in my hands harder. I was outside in the five-acre fenced preserve that was Travis the bear cub's temporary home. There was a pond that provided Travis with water, but it was frozen solid. I was attempting to chop a hole in the ice so Travis could get to the water.

Travis sat beside me on the bank, waiting patiently for me to finish. It only took me four good chops to get through the ice. I guess Travis had Jasper Hale to thank for my extra strength.

I didn't have anything against Jasper personally. Even if he had tried to kill me once. But now he had invaded my life, my privacy. He had reminded me of the pain that I had felt and the loss I had endured. And I wanted him gone.

I knew that there was a good chance that he would leave the area now that he knew I was here. And I couldn't help but wonder: if Jasper was here, who else was here? The question burned in my mind. Was Edward here?

JASPER'S POV

I slammed the Range Rover into park, turned off the ignition, and was inside the chalet in the blink of an eye.

"Tanya! Kate! Irina!" I called. Well, maybe bellowed would be a better word.

Tanya appeared at the top of the stairs. "Jasper?" she asked, one perfectly sculpted red eyebrow arched in question.

"How long have you known?" I demanded.

Tanya hesitated, then said smoothly, "Known what, darling?"

"Don't fuck with me about this, Tanya. Not about this," I said. I made sure that she felt my anger acutely.

She sighed, then swept gracefully down the stairs. "You saw her, then?"

I nodded. "I saw her. How long?"

"She arrived shortly before you did."

"What? She's been here for six months?" I couldn't believe it.

"She moved here and is working for the forestry service at the park," Tanya explained.

I dropped heavily onto the couch. "She lives here?"

I could feel Tanya's anxiety at my anger, but I wasn't quite ready to help her calm down yet. She should have told me.

"Yes," Tanya nodded. She sat down next to me on the couch, but she did so carefully, as if she wasn't sure whether I had forgiven her yet for keeping Bella's presence in Alaska a secret.

"And is a forest ranger?"

"Well, I'm not sure what her actual job is. I only know that she's employed by the forest service," Tanya explained.

I was having a hard time comprehending that idea. The Bella Swan I knew could barely walk down the street without tripping over her own feet, much less navigate an entire forest. The mental picture of her trying to avoid faceplanting on the forest floor was laughable.

Tanya must have had some idea of what I was thinking, because she smiled, but then said, "She's changed, Jasper. She's come into her own." Tanya rose restlessly and wandered over to the window and looked out. "You've seen her," she said quietly, "you must have noticed how beautiful she's become."

"I did notice," I admitted. The awkwardness that I remembered was gone. Although, she _had_ spilled her coffee all over the floor. "How do you know so much about her?" I asked, narrowing my gaze at Tanya.

"We keep an eye on her, Kate and Irina and I. It seemed like the right thing to do. For Edward." She turned to me. "What will you do?"

"She cost me everything," I said, more of a thought than an accusation.

"You cost her everything, too," Tanya countered.

I growled at her, even though I knew that she was right. Edward had left her because of what I had done. She had lost the Cullens too, just as I had.

I wasn't sure how I would handle being here now that I knew she was nearby. Then again, our paths hadn't crossed but once in six months. And now that I knew of her presence, I could certainly avoid her.

Yeah, that was it. I would just avoid her. I'd stay out of her damn coffee shop, and I'd make sure she didn't get anywhere near me.

BELLA'S POV

The day seemed like it was dragging on forever. My partner, Jacob Black, was spending the afternoon in the snowcat tracking one of the wolf packs that we had in the park. We had been keeping an eye on them because we thought that there was a struggle going on within the pack between the older alpha male and one of the younger males. We wanted to monitor the situation.

Jacob loved the wolves. He seemed to understand them. Perhaps it was because he _was_ one. Well, a werewolf, anyway. It was his Quileute legacy. So he had taken on the pack as his own project, and I was perfectly content to let him.

I loved working with Jacob. But then, I suppose I should love it, since he's my best friend. He and I both came from Forks. Well, I came from Forks, and Jacob came from LaPush, the Quileute reservation just down the coast. We became friends quickly after I moved to Forks and had always remained close. In fact, after Edward left, Jacob became my rock. Charlie was the one to get me out of bed, but Jacob was the one who kept me out. Jacob's response to the situation had been anger – very impressive anger. It definitely outweighed my despair. To this day, Jacob still hated Edward Cullen.

Jacob has only been here in Denali for a couple of weeks, but he has settled in and made the place his own. Jacob is a little younger than I am, and just finished his Biology degree at Washington State. When I heard that the park was going to hire a new wildlife biologist, I immediately thought of Jake. In my opinion, the park would be lucky to have him. They offered him the job and Jacob took it. I know that it was difficult for him to leave the reservation and his father, but I think he likes it here. And I'm definitely glad that he's here. Especially now. Because somehow Jasper's presence here makes me feel incredibly outnumbered.

When I came in to the office this morning, Jacob knew immediately that something was off.

"Bella?" he asked, as I took off my coat and hat and hung them on the hook next to the door.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?"

I looked over at him sitting behind his desk, feet crossed on its surface, sipping his coffee. He watched me over the rim of his cup. It was plain Styrofoam, which meant that he had made it himself. Right then I thanked God for Starbuck's. Jake made terrible coffee.

"What makes you think that there's something wrong?" I asked. It irritated me sometimes how well he knew me.

"Come on, Bella. It's me." He brought his feet down with a thud and stood from his chair. Rolling his shoulders, he said to me, "You look so tense you could break in half."

He knew me _way too_ well.

Jacob crossed the small room that was our office, set his coffee down on the edge of my desk, and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me in the kind of hug that he knew always made me feel better. I always felt so safe when he hugged me like that. "Tell me."

I couldn't tell him that I had seen Jasper. Jacob's dislike of Edward personally paled in comparison to how he felt about the whole Cullen vampire clan. See, Jacob and his wolf brethren were sworn enemies of the vampires. And on top of that blood feud, Edward, a vampire, had broken my heart. If Jacob knew that Jasper was here, he'd hunt him down not only for being a vampire but also for being a Cullen, Edward's brother.

No, I couldn't tell him. As uncomfortable as it made me to have Jasper so near, I wouldn't send Jacob after him. It wouldn't end well for anyone. That much I knew for certain.

So, I lied. "Oh, it's nothing in particular," I said against Jacob's wide chest. But I did burrow into him to try to ward off the chill that had settled in my heart. "I'm just feeling a little blue today."

"Robin's egg or navy?" Jacob asked, pulling back and looking down into my face.

"Oh, robin's egg, I suppose," I said, my lips twitching. He had the funniest way of seeing things sometimes.

"Good. Robin's egg we can definitely work on. Navy blue is a hopeless cause."

That made me smile.

"See?" Jacob grinned, his teeth flashing white against his dark skin. "All better."

And I did have to admit, he had made me relax.

"So, what's on for today?" I asked him. Even though Jacob and I were partners, we often had separate things to attend to.

"I think I'd better track down the wolf pack. I want to be sure that the alpha is still holding on."

I looked at his carefully. "Are you going on foot?" That was my coded way of asking him whether or not he was going to change into the giant black wolf he could become when he wanted to.

He shook his head. "I've been running at night, and I think that I have a pretty good idea about their general location. I'll take the snowcat." He picked his cup back up, finished off his coffee, and threw the cup into the recycling bin. "You?"

"Well, I'm sure I'll have to chop open the pond for Travis. And I have a lot of paperwork to do. I suppose that'll take up most of my day."

"Sounds exciting." Jacob took his parka down off the hook next to where mine hung and shrugged his broad shoulders into it. "I'd rather chase wolves." Then he added as an afterthought, "Or vampires?" This he said with hope, his eyes lighting at the idea.

Jacob knew about Tanya and Kate and their family. And he didn't like it that there was a vampire clan nearby. The only thing that kept him from hunting them down was that they didn't harm humans. That, and the fact that I had forbid him to.

His question made me feel instantly tense. Did he know about Jasper? No. How could he? So I tried to relax and said, "Absolutely not," in the sternest tone I could manage.

"You're no fun at all," he grumbled. But, on his way out the door, he bent down and kissed my cheek. "Have a good day, Bella."

"You too, Jake. I'll see you tonight."

And God, it seemed like it was taking forever for six o'clock to come.

Normally I enjoyed every aspect of my job. Even the paperwork. Jake hates paperwork. He'd much rather be outside doing something that requires his massive muscles. So I do his paperwork for him, too. But today, all I could think about was Jasper Hale. _Whitlock._ I wondered which last name he was using now. Whatever – it didn't matter.

I had come to the conclusion that he must be alone in Alaska. If he weren't, Alice most certainly would have been with him at the coffee shop this morning. So he had to be here for the sole purpose of a visit to the Denali clan. But, if he was visiting, why hadn't he brought Alice?

The circular questioning and reasoning was giving me a headache. I hadn't seen the Cullens for five years, and now, here I was obsessing about them.

And what I really wanted to know was whether Edward was here or not.

Irritated and frustrated with myself, I pushed back from my desk and got out of my chair. The office that Jacob and I shared wasn't very big, but I paced the floor of it anyway. I knew that this situation was going to force me to face some things that I was hoping to keep buried. Like my true feelings for Edward. And the strength of my resolve.

Even if Edward hadn't come to Denali with Jasper, even if I would never see either of them again, it was something that I was going to have to reconcile in my mind and in my heart, one way or the other.

I stopped in front of the window and saw, through the perpetual twilight of the Alaskan winter, the headlights of the snowcat.

Jacob was back.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, everyone, thanks for the great reviews. Hang in there – things are going to start to heat up pretty quickly.

_Twilight_ belongs to Stephenie Meyer. She's just great enough to let us all borrow her work!

JASPER'S POV

I needed to hunt. And I needed to hunt something that was going to fight back. That meant bear. But since it was winter, all the bears were hibernating. So second choice was mountain lion.

As I ran through the thick mountain forests, my senses alert for any sign of my prey, I acknowledged the fact that winter in Alaska was a vampire's dream. At this point in the season it was twilight twenty-four hours a day. And there were so few people.

_Well,_ I thought grudgingly, _Alaska could do with one less person. Particularly a beautiful brunette named Bella Swan._

Wait. When did I start thinking of her as beautiful, instead of the bane of my eternal existence?

Christ, I was fucked up.

I slowed my stride as I caught the musky scent of a lion. He was close. I followed the scent to an outcropping of rocks. Typical lion terrain.

I could see as well in the darkness as I could in the daylight, and I spotted the big cat right away. He was a beauty – big and golden. His ears were flattened back against his head and his teeth were bared in a growl as he watched me. He was pissed and ready for a fight. Good. So was I.

I saw him spring, and let his body crash into me, taking the full weight of the cat in the chest. His claws raked down my upper body. It was satisfying, because it hurt like hell.

Yes, a battle was exactly what I needed right now.

When I finished with the mountain lion I felt sated, but not satisfied. My fight with the cat had not accomplished what I had hoped. I was still wound up and frustrated. I could, of course, repress my emotions if I wanted to. I had that power. But I needed to feel them, and I knew it.

I sat in the snow at the base of the rock face, the lion's carcass nearby. It was full night now, but there was no moon to light the darkness. Not tonight.

I was still no closer to an answer than I had been two hours ago when I left and anxious Tanya and an annoyed Kate back at their chalet, telling them that I needed to be alone. I kept a small cabin near their chalet, but more nights than not, I passed the time with them hunting or reading of watching TV, especially when Irina, Carmen, and Eleazar were gone hunting, like they were now. My leaving was definitely out of the ordinary, and they knew I was upset.

Tanya had understood my feelings, said the turmoil I was feeling was completely natural. Kate said that was bullshit. She was disappointed in me for letting a mere human send me into a spiral.

I tended to agree with Kate on this one.

I should just put Bella Swan out of my mind completely. After all, she meant nothing to me. All she represented to me was loss.

I had never gotten to know her very well. During the time that Bella was part of our family, I was still trying to adapt to the vegetarian lifestyle, and it was an endless struggle. I had kept away from her for her own safety.

One thing that I did know about Bella Swan was that my brother Edward had loved her more than anything. And if I knew Edward, and I did, he undoubtedly loved her still.

So I couldn't kill her.

Tanya told me that Edward didn't now Bella was here in Alaska. Neither she nor Kate had told Carlisle that Bella had moved here. They respected Edward's decision to leave Bella to her life, and didn't want to cause Edward any more pain than he already had to endure.

That almost made me feel like I should watch over her for my brother.

Fuck. The last thing I needed was to be responsible for the love of my brother's eternal life. Especially a walking disaster like Bella. Fuck.

Just then, when I was mentally expressing my second _fuck_, I heard the noise of a motor carrying through the stillness of the wood. I looked around quickly and saw headlights coming toward me. In a single motion, I sprang to the top of the rocks and watched the snowcat crawl through the snow toward my position.

As it got closer, the lights fell on the body of the mountain lion lying in the snow surrounded by a fine red spray of blood.

"Damn," I cursed softly. It was too late for me to move the lion's body. I shouldn't have been so careless. By now the snowcat was close enough that I had a clear view of the logo on the side of the snowcat. "Alaska National Park Service," I read. "Damn," I repeated, closing my eyes and clenching my fist.

The snow machine came to a stop near where the cat's body lay.

What were the chances that, with the thousands of acres in Denali, she would find the exact spot that I had gone to try to clear my head of her?

_What am I going to do?_ I thought furiously. I could kill her now, and no one would ever know. I could kill her quickly, dispose of the body. It would be neat, easy, relieving. A part of me liked that plan – the part of me that could forget about my family and what they had taught me. But the part of me that couldn't forget my family, that knew it would destroy my brother and Alice if I killed Bella Swan, kept me in my place.

I watched as the door of the vehicle opened and a figure in a large black parka got out. I relaxed slightly. If that was Bella, she had grown a foot, gained a good ninety pounds, and changed sexes since the morning. This was clearly a man, and a big one at that, tall and broad.

Lighting his way with a powerful flashlight, he walked over to the cat and crouched down to examine it. Seconds later he straightened, swinging the light around, searching in all directions. And I got a look at his face.

_What_ the _fuck_ was Jacob Black doing here?

Venom pooled in my mouth at the sight of my natural enemy. Jacob Black was one of the strongest wolves in the Quileute pack. And he hated me both for being a vampire and for being a Cullen. He would easily identify the marks on the lion's neck and recognize them as a vampire bite.

Was he here with Bella? I seemed to remember Edward mentioning something about Jacob Black having a crush on Bella. He had laughed it off then. But maybe she had turned to him after Edward left.

_Tramp. _ It was my loyalty to my brother that had the accusation running through my mind. I was sure that Edward would never love another, and she had found comfort in the arms of his greatest enemy.

Maybe I would kill her after all.

I watched Jacob Black lift the body of the cat and put it in the bed of the snowcat. It was an impressive feat; the cat had to weigh more than two hundred pounds. I knew that once he got the body somewhere well-lit, his suspicions of a vampire kill would be confirmed.

Things had just gotten more complicated.

I had no reservations about killing the wolf if I had to. And I would if he threatened either my Denali family or me. But what of Bella? What if she tried to defend him? I didn't know the answer to that.

Silently I took of running, angling through the trees back toward the chalet to tell Tanya and Kate what had happened, and about the new threat that the wolf posed to us. We would decide together what to do.

BELLA'S POV

Jacob was carrying something, and the bundle in his arms looked fairly large. I swung the door open for him and he blew in with the wind.

"What is that?" I asked, catching sight of the dun-colored pelt.

"Mountain lion," he said shortly.

I led the way through the office into the large preservation room that doubled as a lab, and flipped on the fluorescent lights. Jacob laid the cat on the stainless steel table in the middle of the room.

"What happened?" The cat was beautiful. I had never seen one up close, so I bent over to get a good look. And saw the marks on the neck. "Oh," I said, straightening.

"Yeah," Jacob said tightly. I knew then that the kill made him angry. All things vampire made him angry.

"Bella," Jacob's voice was thoughtful as he stepped back and took off his outerwear, "I don't think that one of the Denali clan did this."

My heart all but stopped. "What do you mean?" I asked. _Don't mention the Cullens, don't mention the Cullens,_ I repeated. The killing of a cat so cleanly was almost like the boys' signature. They prided themselves on bringing down the big, fighting animals.

"The girls don't hunt mountain lion. Even Eleazar doesn't take this type of animal. The deer and elk that we find around, that's them. This isn't."

He was right. The Denali clan didn't hunt really big game. It had to have been Jasper. But I kept my speculations to myself. I wasn't going to volunteer the information that Jasper was in Denali unless I had to. Even though Jake was going to be pissed if he found out that I knew and didn't tell him right away.

"Well, what do you think, then?" I asked instead, reaching down to stroke the cat's pelt. It was softer than I expected.

"Either there are nomads in the area of the Denali have visitors." Jacob's lip curled in disgust. "Either way, we should keep our eyes open."

"I agree," I said, nodding. "We should definitely keep a watch out." I looked at Jake and met his dark eyes. "Where did you find this?" I wondered.

"Just east of here, at the base of that granite outcropping."

"That's close!" About a half-mile from our office. Much too close.

"It is close. I'm going to run tonight and see if I can find out anything." He moved away from the table and gathered his coat, hat, and gloves. I followed him out of the lab and back into our office, turning off the lights and closing the door between the two rooms behind us.

"You'll be careful?" I asked, putting on my own coat.

"I'll be careful," he promised.

I hated to leave him. I was afraid of what he might discover about Kate and Tanya's guest. And how he would deal with the situation.

"I need to fill out a report on this anyway." He jerked his head toward the lab where we had left the cat's body. "I'll do that first, then patrol a little bit."

"Do you want me to stay?" I asked.

"Of course not. Go home, warm up. I'll see you in the morning."

I hesitated, undecided. I really should stay. But I really wanted to go home, too. But then I thought, if I insisted on staying, Jacob might get suspicious that something was up.

"OK," I gave in, and pulled on my hat and gloves. "Please be careful. And call if you need anything."

"No worries, Bells," he said, shooting me his quick, cocky smile. "It's me."

"Good night, Jake. I'll see you tomorrow."

JASPER'S POV

"You're sure, Jasper? You're sure it was the wolf?" Irina's dark, whisky-colored eyes

flashed.

"Unmistakable," I said, my voice flat, serious.

"How could we have missed this?" Kate asked, pacing the room furiously. "That is unacceptable."

Kate and Tanya had called back Irina, Carmen, and Eleazar from their nearby hunting trip, so the entire Denali clan sat in the living room of the chalet. The emotions in the room were closing in on me from all sides. Irina and Kate were projecting violent anger; Tanya was calm but concerned; and Carmen and Eleazar were worried. I couldn't take it anymore, and sent waves of calming peace through the room. I heard Tanya sigh with relief.

"OK," Tanya said, rising from the couch where she had been sitting next to Carmen, "now let's discuss this rationally."

"You be rational," Kate said, still impressively angry. "There's a fucking wolf here."

"Kate," Tanya said, her voice carrying a slight note of amusement mixed with obligatory disapproval.

"Don't '_Kate'_ me, Tanya. This is serious. The only reason that we've been safe from the wolves up until now is because of Carlisle. And he's most of a continent away. He can be of no help to us now." There was momentary silence through the room. Kate was right. The treaty that existed between our two peoples was made between Carlisle and the Quileute elders. And Carlisle wasn't here.

"It seems to me," all eyes turned to Eleazar who, until that point, had listened in silence, "that we need more information. Perhaps it would be helpful if we knew what his purpose if here. Is it a possibility that he is here with Edward's Bella?"

"Don't call her that," I said steadily. For some reason, it bothered me. She wasn't Edward's Bella; he had given her up. And I had a feeling that she was a very different person now than she had been when she was with my brother.

They all looked at me with varying degrees of question in their eyes.

"I only mean that she hasn't been with Edward for over five years, so I don't think she can be called 'his' anymore," I explained.

"Jasper, you know how much he loves her. In Edward's – and the rest of the family's – eyes, she'll always be his." Carmen's voice was quiet, but carried strength.

I didn't agree with her, but neither did I argue. One rarely argued with Carmen. And we had more important things to discuss than semantics.

When I didn't respond, the conversation continued.

"I think Eleazar is right," Irina said, finally settling down enough to sit on the hearth next to the low fire. "We should have more information."

"And where do you propose that we get this information?" I asked the question, even though I already knew what the answer was going to be.

"From Bella, of course." Kate still hadn't calmed. She was fighting my attempts to level her emotions. Kate always had been difficult.

"How are we going to do that?" I didn't like where this was going.

"One of us will go and talk to her," Tanya decided.

"What?" I let the tone of my voice tell them that I was definitely against the idea.

"It is the only way," Eleazar said with a shrug. The others nodded in assent with his statement.

"There. It's decided then. Now," Tanya looked around the room, "who's going to go?"

I shifted my weight and leaned a shoulder against the wall. This should be good.

"Bella does not know us very well." Carmen indicated herself and Eleazar. "I do not think it should be us."

"Agreed. The same can be said for Irina," Tanya reasoned. "So, Kate and I will go. Bella knows us, and that we mean her no harm." Tanya turned to Kate. "OK?"

"Sure," Kate said with a quick nod.

"No." My quiet denial brought all attention back to me again. "I'll go."

There was a brief moment of silence in the room while the unspoken question of who was going to handle my preposterous statement circulated between the members of my Denali family. It fell to Tanya, of course.

"Jasper, honey, I don't think that a very good idea," she said carefully.

"Why not, Tanya," I asked, raising an eyebrow as I waited for her answer.

"Because chances are you'll end up killing her, that's why."

I could always count on Kate to tell the truth up front.

"Katrina," Tanya sighed.

"Hey," Kate said with a careless shrug of her shoulders, "I'm just saying what everyone is thinking."

"Perhaps you might try to be a little more tactful about it, darling." Irina shook her head.

"It's better than dancing around the truth," Kate defended.

"However forthright Kate's statement, it does hold truth," Tanya conceded. "You two have some pretty serious history, Jasper, and none of it is good."

"I know," I said. "But I'm going. Tell me where she lives."

Tanya still wasn't sure about my decision to go to Bella. I could feel her uncertainty. But she wrote down Bella's address for me. And as I walked to the door, she said to me, "Jasper, remember what you are. No matter what has happened, you are still Carlisle Cullen's son. Don't forget all that he had taught you."

I turned and looker her in the eyes. "I won't." And then I was gone.

Hold on for the next couple of chapters, guys. It's about to get all rowdy up in here!


	5. Chapter 5

As always, I appreciate the reviews. I'm stoked that you guys like the story. I'm having a blast writing it!

_Twilight _belongs to Stephenie Meyer!

JACOB'S POV

It felt good to run. The snow was deep and the night was dark. I stretched my legs into a longer stride and relied on my keen wolf's eyes to guide me through the darkness.

I didn't take me long to reach the place where I had found the mountain lion. When I got there, I sniffed the air, searching for the vampire's scent. The snow around the area was trampled, and it looked like the vampire and the lion had fought.

_Good_, I thought, _I hope the cat sliced the hell out of him._

Then I drew in the scent of vampire. It was so potent that I shook my head in an attempt to clear my nose.

He had leaned against the rock outcropping. I could smell him there, and see the tracks clearly. But there were no tracks leading away from the rocks. He must have gone up. In bounding leaps I made my way to the top of the rocks, where I found more tracks. He had crouched there. How had I missed him? The cat had still been warm when I found it. The vampire must have still been in the area. I looked around, tested the wind. I was a good thirty feet above the ground. The wind must have carried his scent right over me.

I was irritated that I had missed the vampire earlier, but I returned my focus to finding out where he was now. I scented out the trail again, found the vampire's marks. Long-strided tracks led away to the northwest. He had been running when he left this spot.

I broke into a lope as I followed the trail in the snow. I ran a good five miles before I saw the lights of what had to be a house. I slowed and approached the house cautiously. This was a permanent residence. It was well-hidden by the forest and the mountain. This had to be it. They were in there, and not just the one I was tracking. I had found the Denali clan.

The house was a chalet style, with a wide bank of windows in the front. From my place in the shadow of the trees, I could see six of them. I knew the Denali clan consisted of five vampires. So they _did_ have a visitor.

I easily identified Tanya and her sisters, Kate and Irina. That meant the two with dark hair sitting on the couch had to be the Spanish vampires, Carmen and Eleazar. The blonde man with his back to the windows - he must be the one I was tracking.

_Turn_, I willed him, wanting to get a look at his face. But he did not turn around. So I memorized what I could about him. He was tall and lanky with broad shoulders. And he looked strong. Not only that, if he had taken down a lion, he had to be fast, too.

I was vibrating with desire to rip apart some vampires. But I had promised Bella that I'd leave the Denali clan alone. And I wouldn't break my promise to her. Their visitor, however, was another matter. I'd made no promises concerning him.

Suddenly, the blonde vampire disappeared from my view, and seconds later I heard an engine start, and saw a black SUV appear from around the back of the house. It streaked down the drive through the woods and was quickly gone from my sight.

I growled deep in my throat. I would definitely be keeping and eye on that house.

Turning back the way I came, I trotted into the darkness of the forest.

BELLA'S POV

I sank to my chin in a hot, bubbly tub of water and sighed with pleasure as the warmth of the water enveloped me. I had lit a couple of candles, and they flickered, the only light in the room. In my attempt to relax I had also considered wine, but it generally gave me a headache. That, and the fact that a semi-drunk Bella was liable to burn the house down, or trip and fall out a window kept me from indulging. One of the things in my life that had not improved since my time in Forks was my coordination. But I had discovered that if I really concentrated, I could keep from seriously embarrassing myself in public.

At least the hot water was working to relax my tense muscles. Spending an entire day thinking about Jasper Hale and the Cullens had tied me up into some pretty good knots. But I refused to think of any vampires now. Not Jasper, not Edward, not the Denali. And I also refused to think about how Jacob could be discovering at any moment that Jasper was in Denali. God, that would be a scene. Jacob was pretty impressive when he was mad. His eyes were black and his lip curled in this completely intimidating snarl. And boy, could he yell. And fight.

But Jasper was a warrior, a soldier by trade in his former life, and in my heart of hearts, I knew that he could hurt Jacob. So I preferred not to think about what would happen when Jake found out that Jasper was here.

I had just dozed off when I heard a banging on my front door. It was loud enough that I had no problem hearing it from my bathroom upstairs.

"Great. That didn't take him very long. Well, Bella, prepare for the wrath of Jacob." With a sigh, I stood from the tub. Water sluiced down my body, and my skin instantly chilled in the air of the bathroom.

The pounding on the door continued. "For God's sake, Jacob, I'm coming!" I called. Why didn't he just use his key?

I grabbed the fluffy towel from the hanger on the back of the bathroom door and wrapped it around myself, knotting the ends between my breasts. I bundled my damp hair at the back of my head in a messy knot and secured it with a clip.

As Jacob had not yet ceased his pounding on my door, I hurried downstairs and toward the small entryway. I started yelling before I even got to the door. "Jacob! What the hell is wrong with - " I threw open the door and froze as my eyes met not a pair of black ones like I expected, but a pair of gold ones. They glinted and sparked, and again I found myself taking a retreating backward step.

"You can't be here." I had to mentally force myself not to stutter.

"Well, apparently I can." His voice was low, still flavored with that slight Southern drawl so out of place here in the far North. He didn't seem the slightest bit uncomfortable. In fact, he seemed very much the way I remembered him – composed, confident, in control. And hot. Had he always been that hot? I had always considered Edward to be beauty personified. And, to me, Emmett had always represented the epitome of strength. But Jasper, I had never really spent enough time with him to learn his attributes. It was like I was seeing him – really seeing him – for the first time. And now I saw that God, he was hot.

_Bella, get a grip. He tried to kill you, remember? _

When I didn't respond, he simply stepped around me and into my house. I didn't bother to protest. I wouldn't have done any good. I just closed the door behind him.

"It would be nice if that myth were true about vampires not being allowed to enter a house unless invited," I grumbled under my breath as _I_ followed _him_ down _my_ hallway into the living room.

"What did you say?" Jasper asked.

"You damn well heard me," I said, annoyed. Vampire hearing was better than having Spidey senses.

I had started a fire as soon as I got home from work, and though it had burned down, the coals still glowed orange. Jasper reached down into the cast iron woodbox and grabbed a couple of logs. He tossed them onto the coals, and then blew on it gently. The fire sprang back to life. Satisfied, he straightened and turned to look at me.

"What are you doing here, Jasper?" I demanded, before he had a chance to speak.

"I could ask you the same question," he pointed out, his eyes never leaving my face. "My presence here is much more easily explained than yours."

"I don't owe you and explanations. My life stopped being Cullen business five years ago when your brother left me in the woods." My voice sounded much more self-assured than I felt. I was pretty proud of myself. Inside, I was shaking.

Jasper's eyes dropped then, and he gave me a once-over. It hit me then that I was still dressed only in my towel. And I didn't feel very confident that it would remain in place, as the knot had already loosened considerably. _Great,_ I thought. _The last thing I need to do is flash the love of my life's brother._ But I stood my ground, and did my best not to let him know that I was completely mortified. Apparently I sucked at it, because the corners of his mouth twitched upward. Which just pissed me off. The bastard was _laughing_ at me!

But then his face was serious again, and he said in his whiskey-smooth voice, "Maybe you could go put on something a little less – _distracting_ – and we could talk."

I hated the thought of giving in to him in any capacity, but hell, I _was_ standing in front of him completely naked but for the towel.

"Fine," I said. But I pushed my annoyance at him. I wanted him to know that I was not happy about him being there.

"Noted," he acknowledged with a nod. My feelings had gone unspoken, but he had gotten the message loud and clear.

Just to be perverse, I took my sweet time. I dressed in a pair of leggings and a long sweater. Then I brushed out my hair. Every single inch of it. Twice.

Jasper Hale was in my living room. Right now. I was still having a hard time processing the fact.

When I couldn't possibly stall any longer, I sat down on the corner of my bed so that I could settle down and collect my thoughts before facing him again.

I had to be strong. I couldn't let him know that I was dying to ask him about Edward, about Alice, about _everyone_. He had to understand that I had moved on, that I was no longer living in the shadow of what Edward had done. In fact, I wanted him to know that I was successful and independent – not the stuttering, emotional puddle that I used to be.

My resolve was strong. Now I just had to pull off one of the most difficult confrontations of my life without tipping off the empath to what I was really thinking. Great.

I took a deep breath, rose, squared my shoulders, and headed downstairs.

JASPER'S POV

She answered the door in a fucking towel. And was yelling to the wolf. She thought I was him. That all but confirmed that he was here with her.

I was righteously pissed. How could she go from loving my brother, who was the best and brightest of us all, to loving that, that _dog_? He was a brute, a beast, and nothing more. _Stupid_ human.

I prowled restlessly around the room she had left me in. I was more uncomfortable in her presence than I had anticipated. I was much stronger, though, than I had been five years ago. Rarely did I ever get the urge to prey on a human anymore. But I couldn't guarantee right now that I wouldn't rip Bella Swan's throat out.

I couldn't believe the resentment that had overwhelmed me when I saw her at the door. Even if I had been shocked into momentary silence by her attire. This woman, this _human_ had cost me my life with the Cullens, my relationship with Alice, my home. I never would have believed that one person could have so much influence over the course of my existence.

Yet she had.

And apparently, it had all been for nothing. Edward had left her because of me, to keep her safe. She didn't know that, of course. She didn't know that Edward had desperately feared for her safety, and that he loved her still. And I sure as hell wasn't going to tell her. There was no way I was going to let her know that I was the reason Edward had lied to her, broken her heart, and left her. Because if I had to suffer through the loss, then so did she. But now here she was, cozied up with the wolf. And he was far most dangerous that I.

As I wandered around the room, I observed. I had never known Bella very well, and I thought that this might be a good chance to learn something valuable about my enemy. I mean, about Bella. I shook my head. The soldier in me surfaced at the strangest times.

She had a lot of books. They filled a large bookcase on one wall. A worn-looking paperback sat on the end table next to the couch. What was she reading? I moved to the table and picked up the book.

_Wuthering Heights_. _Figures,_ I thought. It was appropriate. Destructive relationships, a man who was a monster – Bella must easily be able to relate.

_Man,_ I realized. I was _bitter._ And I _really disliked_ Bella Swan.

But I had a purpose here, and it involved the safety of my new family. I had to put my own feelings aside and deal with the situation. Whatever that required.

A creak in the staircase behind me made me whirl. Bella was coming down the stairs, descending with a sort of _grace_. I narrowed my eyes as I watched carefully. Tanya was right – she had changed.

_Well then_, I thought, _game on._ And I stepped toward her.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, guys. Again, thanks for the great reviews. Sorry for the length between updates, but I travel on the weekends. Expect updates during the week.

For those of you stressing because you don't like it that Bella and Jasper hate each other: THEY DON'T! They just _think_ that they do. Both of them are hurting, and need somewhere to put the blame. Blaming each other is just convenient. They'll find their way, trust me.

Stephenie Meyer owns all things _Twilight._

BELLA'S POV

My heart was pounding like a jackhammer inside my chest. Jasper was waiting for me, watching me. And I just knew that I was going to do something stupid and embarrassing like trip over my feet and fall down the stairs. I concentrated _very_ hard on not letting that happen, stepping carefully from one step to the next.

I didn't like the way that he was looking at me, eyes narrowed, face serious. He really could be intimidating when he wanted to be. _Suppress, suppress,_ I reminded myself. I didn't want to give him any advantages over me, and if he knew that I was feeling intimidated by him, he would definitely use that against me.

"So, Jasper," I said coolly as I stepped off the final step – thank God I had made

it – "to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Chilled, I walked past him to the hearth and turned toward him, standing with my back to the fire.

Jasper studied me carefully – I knew he was trying to read me – and then followed me across the room. Very deliberately, and without invitation, he sat down in the nearest chair. He settled in, stretching out his long legs in front of him, making himself completely at home in my living room. _Bastard._

"I hear you're a forest ranger now," he said, ignoring my previous question.

"I don't see how my job is any of your business," I snapped back quickly, annoyed that he would even attempt small talk. _Easy, Bella. Control._

"It was hard for me to believe," Jasper said with a shrug.

Now it was my eyes that narrowed. "Why?" He was wearing an infuriating smirk on his face that made me want to throw the nearest heavy object I could put my hands on at him.

"Well, you never really were the outdoors type, were you?" he asked, giving me a knowing look.

"Things change," I said tightly, keeping my anger in check, "obviously."

"They do change," he agreed. For some reason, I got the feeling that the conversation was headed in exactly the direction that he wanted it to go, and I didn't like it. He continued, "Apparently, they change a lot."

His statement was heavy with meaning. I just didn't know what it was. He had something on his mind, and I was beginning to become interested in how the conversation was going to play out.

I asked a question of my own. "Why isn't Alice with you?" I saw, for the briefest instance, a shadow of something – what was it? sadness, regret, anger? – in his eyes. And then it was gone. "Things change," he said, turning my words back around on me.

I was staggered. Was he implying that he was no longer with Alice? I couldn't wrap me head around the possibility. That couldn't be it.

"What do you mean?" The question was out before I remembered my plan to keep it cool when it came to the Cullens.

"I don't see how it is any of your business," he returned, throwing my own words back at me again.

I sighed. "Fine, Jasper. I've had a long day. I don't mean to be rude, but – wait, yes I do. Tell me what the hell you want, and then get out and leave me alone." I had had enough. I was tired of thinking about it, tired of wondering about it, tired of fencing with him.

It unnerved me the way he looked at me with those topaz eyes, so similar to Edward's in color, yet so different in what they said. Under the intensity of Jasper's hard gaze, I was sure that he could see into my soul.

JASPER'S POV

She had courage, I would give her that. I was being an absolute bastard, and she was holding up admirably.

Her question about Alice had thrown me off, though I guess I should have been expecting it. She and Alice had been very close, after all. I remember how devastated Alice was when we left Bella behind in Forks. She never believed in her heart that it was the right thing to do. And even worse than that, we made her write the goodbye letter. I don't think she'll ever forgive Carlisle for that. But that was when things began to change between the two of us. I know that she blamed me, but really, I don't know how she expected me to resist something like fresh, pulsing human blood right under my nose. I'm not a machine, after all.

But I had absolutely no desire whatsoever to talk to Bella Swan about any of that. It was none of her damn business. She would never know how she had fragmented my life.

Right now she stood glaring at me, hands on her hips and eyes alight. The fire flickered and danced behind her. The demon in me hoped that a spark would jump out and catch her hair on fire. No permanent damage – just a brief few moments of excruciating pain. Yes, that would be very satisfying.

I drug myself out of my guilty fantasy. She had demanded to know why I was here, then ordered me out of her house. Christ, she was ballsy. I didn't remember that about her. Then Tanya's statement echoed in my head: _"She's come into her own."_ Perhaps she had.

"The wolf," I began. I watched Bella's spine stiffen, her eyes harden. _Ah_, I thought, _hit a nerve, did I?_

"What about him?" she asked guardedly. She wasn't going to give me anything that she didn't have to.

"I saw him tonight." Then I saw fear on her face.

"You didn't – " She didn't finish her question, but I knew what she was asking.

"No," I denied. Though I found it interesting that she obviously thought me capable of taking down the wolf. Very interesting.

I saw relief on her face at hearing that the wolf was safe. Disgusting.

"Well, what about him then?" Her impatience was evident in both her voice and her posture.

In truth, I was still pissed. I could not, in any way, shape, or form, reconcile the fact that Bella was with the wolf. And worse, she had brought him to Alaska.

"He's here," I said simply.

"Aren't you the observant vampire?" she asked sarcastically, arching one eyebrow sassily. Damn, Bella had a little bitch in her.

"You brought him here," I specified.

"Yes," she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture, "I am responsible for Jacob being here."

"And you don't see a problem with that? For us, I mean?"

The change in her visage was clearly visible. Her eyes lit with fury. "Of all the self-centered, presumptuous – " She wanted to rage; I could see it, feel it. But she didn't. She caught herself, calmed herself. I had to admit, I admired that skill she had picked up.

"What," she said, in a voice composed and cool as ice," makes you think that I should have any consideration for you at all? None of you mean anything to me."

That took me a little aback. She sounded like she meant it. So I tried to make her see reason. "Bella, it's very dangerous for us to have a wolf around. It could get ugly. For everyone involved." I paused, letting the implications of my statement settle on her. But she looked at me stonily, unmoved. I grew frustrated by both her lack of response and her attitude. And for a moment, I lost my temper. "How could you bring him here?" I demanded hotly. In my agitation I rose from the chair to restlessly pace the room. "You knew Kate and Tanya and the rest were here. How could you expose them to such danger?"

Bella came alive then. "Do you really believe that I should alter my life because there are vampires in the area? That I should plan where Jacob goes based on vampire location? You're out of your mind if you think that I even gave it a second thought. This is my life, Jasper. It has nothing to do with you. And neither does Jacob's presence here. What he does, where we go, is none of your concern."

Christ, she was infuriating. And strong. For as shaken as she had looked when she opened the door and saw me, she had recovered really well. I could see that I wouldn't be able to intimidate her into giving me answers. Maybe I could guilt them out of her.

"Bella, the Denali are family. How can you not care? They're _family_." I was hoping that the Bella who had been a Cullen, however briefly, would understand. I was wrong.

"No, Jasper. They're not family. Not to me, not anymore. Edward saw to that." Her eyes looked sad, but her face was hard. "They – and you – are nothing to me now."

She was looking me square in the eye, awaiting my reaction. My anger with her simmered, barely below a boil. She was being absolutely unreasonable. I wanted to lash out at her, to frustrate her as much a she was frustrating me.

"That is quite obvious," I said sarcastically, looking her up and down with an expression I knew was insulting.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Instead of backing away from me like I expected her to, she brazenly stepped toward me until we were almost toe-to-toe. She was a head shorter than me, but she tipped her head back and met my eyes. Brave.

I couldn't help it. The thing that had bothered me most all day was still weighing on me heavily, and I couldn't quiet about it any longer.

"I mean that Edward obviously means nothing to you now. After pledging eternal love to him, you wasted no time at all in giving yourself to his mortal enemy. Edward was smart to leave you before you could betray him."

If I had expected it, I could have stopped her. But I didn't. Her open palm cracked against my cheek, whipping my head to the side. _Fuck_. She _hit_ he. Floored and mildly amused by her reaction, I put my hands up in surrender.

"You unimaginable bastard," she said, her voice so low she almost whispered. I could see hurt in her eyes mixed with the anger that still burned there. "You have no idea what losing Edward did to me."

I felt a momentary pang of guilt at my cruelty. But it passed quickly when I reminded myself of my own losses that I had suffered because of her. And that rekindled my resentment.

"I may be a bastard darlin', but at least I know where my loyalties lie." For a second, I thought she was going to hit me again. But she didn't. Instead, she stepped back and sighed deeply. Suddenly, she looked very tired.

When Bella spoke, her voice was quiet. "Unfortunately, I wasn't given the opportunity to be loyal, Jasper. My choices were taken away from me. I would have remained a Cullen forever. But Edward didn't want me forever"

God, that definitely made me feel guilty.

"And so," she continued, "I went on with my life. First I mourned the loss of my love, my family. And then I picked up the pieces and moved on." Her voice gained strength with each word. "Jacob Black was there for me when I needed someone most. He helped piece back together the life that your brother shattered. He was _loyal_," she spit the word at me, "to me. And now I'm returning the favor."

"Wait," I said, shaking my head, sure I had misunderstood. "You're with the wolf because – what? – you feel indebted to him?" That was the worst excuse I had ever heard.

"When I said that my life was none of your business, I meant it."

I couldn't believe how calm she was. It was as if I had influenced her, but I knew that wasn't the case. She was just _that _comfortable with rejecting me.

"Fine," I said. I was done trying to reason with her. You tell the wolf to stay out of my way. And keep him away from my family. Or there'll be hell to pay." I stepped toward her again, gave her a hard look. "I promise."

Bella closed the remaining distance between us in one step and jabbed a finger into my chest. "You stay away from me. And from Jacob. Or I'll let him know that you're here. And I'll let him find you. _I_ promise." She didn't step away.

"You haven't told him that I'm here?" That fact surprised me. What would she possibly gain by keeping my presence a secret? I could almost hear her silent curse when she realized her mistake.

"Why?" I asked, watching her carefully. She dropped her eyes, a good indication that she was not going to tell me the truth.

"I was trying to spare you," she said with a confidence that I knew, even without using my power, was false. "For Alice's sake."

I laughed out loud then. The irony of the situation was not lost on me. Saving me, _me_, from the _wolf_ for _Alice's_ sake. It was ridiculous.

"What's funny about that? You should thank me." My laughter had irritated her.

"I thought you didn't care about me," I countered.

"Only enough to know that Alice would be devastated if something happened to you."

If only she knew. But my pride had be saying, "Oh, I think I can handle myself."

She smiled then. "But why take the chance."

She was not going to back down to me.

"Fine. I've a proposition then."

He eyebrows raised slightly in question. "Yes?"

"You keep the wolf away from my family, and I won't kill him." There was silence, and I knew she was weighing my words.

"Fine," she agreed.

"Can you control him? Will he abide by our agreement?"

"I don't control Jacob." She was indignant at the suggestion. "But yes, he will abide by our agreement."

"Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?" I asked sarcastically. Though my eyes dropped to her lips, which were full and, at present, wearing a sneer. I had to admit, she had grown very beautiful over the last few years, current sneer and all.

"I think I'd settle for a handshake." Bella held her hand out toward me. I grasped her hand with my own. It was so warm. That was what struck me first. Then I became aware of how soft it was. She had a narrow ridge of calluses along the top of her palm – no doubt from the duties that her job required of her – but her skin felt so soft against the hard marble texture of my own.

She was looking down at our joined hands, too.

"What?" I asked, wondering what she was thinking,

"I almost forgot," she said quietly, almost absently. "I almost forgot the cold."

"That's funny," I returned, "I was just thinking about how warm your hand was."

I don't know what made me do it. Maybe it was the Southern gentleman in me; maybe it was because she was a connection to my family; or maybe it was the sadness in her eyes. Whatever the compulsion, I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it, allowing my lips to linger on her soft skin just a little longer than necessary. I watched her reaction over the top of our joined hands. Her eyelids fluttered downward and on her face I saw something that looked like peace.

I was about to speak when I heard a key scraping in the front door lock.

Bella's eyes flew open, and were filled with panic. She tore her hand from mine. "It's Jacob." She looked around wildly. "You've got to get out of here!"

"Fuck that," I said, insulted. "I'm not running away from that dog." There was no way I was going to let him dictate my actions.

"Tonight you are," Bella commanded. "I don't have enough energy to referee a fight between the two of you."

I hesitated. Every instinct that I had told me to stay and fight it out with the wolf. I knew I could take him

"Bella!" I heard the wolf call for her and snarled instinctively at his voice.

"Jasper, go." I looked at Bella. Her eyes were wide and worried. "Go!"

"Fine," I growled. "But remember our agreement. And this," I wagged my finger between myself and the hallway where I heard Jacob Black's heavy footfalls growing closer," isn't finished."

"Whatever," Bella said, rolling her eyes. "Just get out."

I was gone before she finished her statement. But I didn't go far.

The shadows in the corners of the fire-lit room were deep and dark – the perfect place for me to hide and find out what the wolf knew. And to attack from, if I didn't like what I heard.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay in updating, but I was on vacation. Expect regular updates now!

_Twilight_ belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

JACOBS POV

Damn. Where was my key?

I had gone back to the office after my little excursion through the woods to put on some clothes – even I would have been cold running around Alaska buck-ass naked in the dead of winter – and pick up my truck. I debated whether or not to drive over to Bella's place. Chances were pretty good that she was in bed. But I really wanted to talk to her about the vampire situation. So I decided on a drive-by. If her lights were on, I'd stop. If not, I'd keep going. Simple as that.

Her lights were on.

I had to admit, I was surprised. She'd looked pretty tired at work that afternoon. I got the feeling that something was bothering her. But she wouldn't tell be about it until she was ready; that's just how Bella was. She liked to try to work things out for herself if possible. It made her strong, which was one of the things that I loved about her.

I just hoped it wasn't something to do with god-damned-fucking Edward Cullen. He'd taken enough from her.

Though Bella's lights were on, it was possible that she was upstairs, and I didn't want to interrupt whatever she might be doing. So here I was, on the stoop in the dark, trying to pick her key out from the ten or so that hung on my ring.

The breeze kicked up, whirling loose snow around me and I caught a scent that bit sharply. Vampire. It burned my nostrils like fire. I looked around quickly, checking all directions – even the roof – but saw nothing. But I knew one of them was – or had been recently – nearby. Were they watching Bella?

My first thought was a protective one; they wouldn't get to Bella without going through me. My second thought was one fueled by anger; why couldn't they just leave her alone? It had been a long recovery for her, getting over Edward Cullen and his family. Sometimes I wasn't completely convinced that she _was_ over him. There were times that I'd look at her and she'd have a strange, blank sort of look in her eyes, and I'd wonder if she was thinking about him.

But this time, I was ready for a fight.

I finally found the right key and shoved it in the lock, swinging the door open. The vampire scent did not lessen. It was almost as if it had been _in Bella's house_.

"Bella!" I called out, heading down the hallway. I could see firelight spilling into the hall from the living room and figured that was where she was. The scent grew stronger the closer I got.

"Bella!" I called again, worried now. I all but burst into the living room.

Bella was standing in front of the fireplace, a slightly worried, slightly annoyed look on her face.

"Where is he?" I immediately demanded, my gaze swinging around the room.

"Where is who?" she asked me.

I growled. "The vampire."

BELLAS POV

I _hated_ it when they disappeared like that. There one second, gone the next. Edward used to do that to me all of the time. It was infuriating. I didn't even have a clue where Jasper had gone. It was the dead of winter in Alaska – it wasn't like he could just hop out the nearest open window.

But just then, I had more immediate concerns than Jasper's whereabouts. I had heard Jacob call my name again, and I knew that tone of voice. He wasn't happy. When he came into the room and I was his face, I knew I was right.

_What was I going to tell him?_

"Where is he?" Jacob's voice was hard, with an edge to it. There was no doubt in my mind that he had found out about Jasper. But before I volunteered information, I would find out exactly what he knew.

"Where is who?" I asked in a way that I desperately hoped sounded innocent.

But I don't think Jake bought it because he growled low in his throat and said, "The vampire."

I sighed. _Well, here we go._

"I can smell vampire, Bella. The house reeks of it. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was one here now," he said, looking suspiciously around the room.

He was being really vague, and not using any names specifically. Did that mean that he _didn't_ know? I decided to try to avoid the huge fight that I knew was inevitable but I didn't really feel like having then.

"To tell you the truth, Jake, there was a vampire here," I said with a sigh. I felt unbelievably guilty for what I was about to do. I _never_ lied to Jacob. Ever. But until I figured out how to handle the situation with Jasper, I thought it the best course of action.

_"What?"_

I had expected exploding expletives but what I got was quiet disbelief. It threw me off. Jacob's black eyes glittered with what I knew was anger.

"Tanya was here. Just. Not ten minutes ago." Oh, God, I was going to pay for this eventually.

"Tanya? Why?"  
"She wanted to let me know that she and her family had a visitor that had been hunting pretty close to the office compound, but she warned him about me – to stay away, I mean." The words tasted like bitter chalk in my mouth.

"Why would she care?" Jacob's eyes had narrowed, and I could tell he was looking for anything out of line in Tanya's visit.

I shrugged casually. "I really don't know. Maybe for old time's sake."

Jacob bared his teeth at that, releasing another growl. "They need to let it go."

"So do you," I said gently. "I have."

Jake's eyes were instantly serious, his voice doubtful. "Have you? Really?"

"Of course I have, Jake. You know I have. How could you think otherwise?" I stepped toward him, took his hand. "The Cullens are nothing to me now."

JASPERS POV

Several things had happened in the last few minutes that had my head whirling in an attempt to process.

First, the wolf's sense of smell was much stronger than I had originally guessed. It made my position in the farthest, deepest corner of the room rather precarious. I had an escape plan if I needed it, but I'd just as soon have fought my way out if it came to that.

Second, Bella had lied – just flat out lied to the wolf's face – about me. Why would she do that? She hated me. Why in God's name would she protect me? She must have a damn good reason, because I was sure that the wolf would be royally pissed when he found out. That thought made me smile.

And third, I couldn't understand why Bella's last statement to the wolf about us Cullens meaning nothing to her made me so angry. Half of me thought that it meant the wolf had won. He and his wolf brethren never liked it that she was with Edward, with us. And now she was with him. The other half of me grudgingly admitted that it was because I didn't like the idea of someone being able to turn so completely away from my family.

On top of that, her actions and her words seemed to be in complete contradiction. She claimed that we Cullens meant nothing to her, yet she hid my presence. She was contrary, to be sure.

I turned my attention back to the conversation to try to learn more, glean some answers.

JACOBS POV

Something wasn't right. I had known Bella long enough to knew that she was hiding something from me. Something big. I didn't know what it was, but it bothered me. She knew that she could tell me anything, that I would support her in anything. I knew without a doubt that she was lying about something. My gut told me that it had to do with the Cullens. She got all weird and twitchy every time I mentioned them.

It pissed me off that the damned vampires had invaded our lives. Again. I had hated it when they were around the first time; it tore me up inside every minute that she was with them. I thought I was finally rid of them. And here they were again, filling Bella's mind, confusing her thoughts. Damn them.

"I found them," I said, deciding that it wouldn't do any good to ask her what was going on. She wouldn't tell me anyway. So I just got down to business.

"You did?" She looked surprised, but not upset. "Where?"

Tired, I stepped over to the couch and all but collapsed onto it. "Near the foot of the mountains. They have a big house there, chalet style with big windows."

She sat down across from me in a deep leather chair and asked, "Did you actually see them?"

I didn't like the light I saw in her eyes. "Yeah, I saw them."

"And?"

I didn't want to tell her what I had seen anymore. It was OK when I thought she didn't care, but she was showing too much interest now. But I never kept anything from her, so I decided to tell her the truth.

"The sisters were all there, as well as the Spanish ones. And there was another." I watched her through narrowed eyes. Did she just flinch?

"Another?"

"Yes," I said with a nod. "He must be the visitor that you said Tanya spoke of."

"What did he look like?"

I nearly growled at her question. I know she must have been aware of my agitation, because she defended her question. "Tanya didn't tell me anything about him, and I feel like I should be prepared."

I made sense. Didn't it? I scrubbed my hands over my face. The vile vampire scent in the room was blurring my focus. It seemed to me like the scent should be dissipating by now. I tried to focus on Bella. She looked as tired as I felt.

"I didn't get a look at his face," I told her. "He had his back to me. But he was tall and blonde. Looked to be in pretty good shape."

She looked thoughtful. "Doesn't sound like anyone I know."

BELLAS POV

I couldn't believe the incredible stroke of luck; Jake had found the vampires, seen Jasper, and still had no idea that there was a Cullen in Denali. I was safe from his wrath. At least for the moment.

I hated lying to him. Of all the people in my life, I trusted Jacob implicitly. He was the one person who I had no questions about regarding his thoughts, his feelings, his allegiances. And right now I felt like I was taking advantage of him.

And for what? To protect a vampire who had once tried to kill me? One that represented nothing but painful memories of a torturous time in my past? What was wrong with me?

I looked over at Jacob, sprawled on the couch. Whereas Jasper had made himself comfortable in my living room, Jacob filled it. His body, his presence was so immense it was impossible not to feel surrounded by him.

Yet all I could think about was the cool sensation of Jasper's hand against mine, of the pressure of his lips on my skin. For a moment, I had been lost, unable to focus, unable to think of anything except the gorgeous blonde vampire that I hated so much.

JASPERS POV

The wolf could smell me – I knew it. But he seemed to buy Bella's story about Tanya's visit. Stupid dog.

It concerned me that he had found the Denali clan's home. Somehow we would have to make it safe from him. Although, it didn't seem that he had any immediate offensive plans concerning my new family. And as he had made no mention of it, I assumed he had not discovered my cabin.

What startled me the most was learning that he had been outside the chalet watching us and I never even knew he was there. I was going to have to be more careful. If the wolf knew that I, a Cullen, was here, he would not be so content to wait and watch. But it seemed that, whatever her reasons, Bella didn't want him to know of my presence here any more than I did. So I would let her cover for me for now. I guess that, in a way, that made us partners of sorts. Even if we couldn't stand each other.

It seemed to me that the two of them had discussed as much about us vampires as they were going to, so I decided it was time for me to go. I skirted the room, choosing a path that took me behind the wolf, keeping to the deep shadows. The last thing I heard before slipping soundlessly out the front door turned my stomach and made me so angry that I tasted venom. The wolf said to Bella, "I think I'll just stay with you tonight."


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, all. As always, thanks for the great reviews. Great readers make writing fun. Just a reminder: this story takes place after the first third of _New Moon_, so nothing that we learned from the rest of _New Moon, Eclipse, _or _Breaking Dawn_ is applicable! The story is NOT going to follow those books, so don't expect it to.

As for this chapter, sorry for the brevity, but it is a transition chapter. The next one is pretty lengthy…

I own nothing that pertains to _Twilight_!

BELLAS POV

"Whatever," I said, forcing myself out of the chair. "You know where the blankets are. Build up the fire before you go to bed, will you? It'll keep the house warmer."

"Sure thing," Jake said, also rising.

"I'm going to bed." I stepped to him, wrapped my arms around his waist, letting his strength and the comfort that he offered calm me. His arms came around me, holding me close. I felt his lips brush my hair.

"Sleep well." Then he released me and tuned to attend to the fire.

I was completely exhausted and could barely force myself to walk up the stairs. It had been a hell of a day. And I had a feeling that this one day would bring about repercussions that would last a long time.

It was absolutely impossible for me to dismiss Jasper Hale from my mind. It seemed like he was the center of every thought that I had. What bothered me was that I didn't know why. I mean, at first I thought that it had to do with Edward, with the connection to him that Jasper represented. And if my mind had been filled with thoughts of Edward, that would make perfect sense. But it wasn't. I had barely thought of Edward. No, my thoughts were of Jasper. And it was disturbing.

Feeling utterly defeated and drained, I crawled into my bed without even bothering to change my clothes and burrowed under the covers. And the last image that passed through my mind before I dropped into merciful sleep was one of flashing golden eyes.

JASPERS POV

I went back to my cabin. It was the one place that I could go to brood in silence. Though the other Denali vampires knew the location of my cabin, they never went there. They respected my privacy, knew that if I went there it was because I wanted to be alone. And I wasn't fit to be around anyone right now.

I got a perverse sense of satisfaction from slamming the front door of my cabin hard enough to make the windows tremble in their panes. But my satisfaction was short-lived. I couldn't shake the remnant feelings of lust and desire for Bella Swan that Jacob Black had subjected me to. It was profoundly disturbing to me to feel those things for her from anyone other than my brother. It had been bad enough dealing with it from him; I had always had Alice there to help me through it. But now, from the wolf, it made me want to rip something apart. In fact, it seemed that I should beat the hell out of him out of loyalty to Edward. And admittedly, it would make me happy to do so.

Even the memory of what I had experienced from Jacob Black made me shudder. I didn't even want to consider what kind of shape I'd be in if I hadn't blocked myself from experiencing Bella's feelings, too. The waves of desire, of lust that rolled off the wolf were so strong and so infuriating that I didn't think I could deal with having to experience those same feelings for him from her. Instead, I had thrown up a block. It was something that Edward had slowly been learning to develop, to shield himself from always having to hear other people's thoughts. He had explained the basics of the method to me, and I had gotten pretty good at it over the last couple of years. Good enough that if I concentrated hard enough, I could neutralize someone's feelings before they affected me. Like I did with Bella tonight.

I was still having difficulty accepting that Bella and the wolf were together. It made me – well, to be completely truthful – violently angry. She knew better. What was she thinking? How could she _possibly_ be comfortable being with a wolf after her time with my family?

_Maybe that's why she's with him_. The voice in my head annoyed me. I hated it when my subconscious interfered with my brooding. _Maybe because of the pain she suffered, she's trying to remove herself as far away as possible from all things Cullen._

I considered the prospect carefully. It was true – she couldn't get any farther away from a vampire than a werewolf. If that was her intention, she had succeeded.

_Christ._ I dropped into a chair that sat near the cold fireplace. _That girl is fucking exhausting. _It was a ridiculous course of action to go from loving a vampire to loving a werewolf. Bella Swan was clearly out of her mind.

The thing was, I couldn't get her out of _my_ mind.

I sighed loudly, stretching me legs out in front of me, crossing my arms over my chest, and staring at the dark hearthstones. I couldn't ever remember craving human drink as much as I did right now. I would kill for a shot of Jameson.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, all. Again, as always, thanks for the great reviews. You guys are the best. Now, sit back and settle in, because things are going to start getting messy!

_Twilight_ and everything about it belongs to Stephenie Meyer!

BELLAS POV

When the infernal buzzing of my alarm clock woke me at seven the next morning, I wanted to do nothing but pull the covers over my head. The few hours of sleep that I had gotten had done precious little to refresh me.

As I lay there staring blankly up at the ceiling, wishing that I could just disappear for a day, I heard noise downstairs from the vicinity of the kitchen. Jake was up. Resigned to the fact that I had to get up and go to work, I crawled slowly out of bed. A shower, hot and steamy. That was what I needed. Eyes still slightly out of focus, I stumbled toward the bathroom.

The minute the hot spray hit me, my mind started to clear. The stress and confusion of the previous day seemed to wash away, and I began to think about the day before me. Jacob was undoubtedly making breakfast. I loved it when he stayed over for that very reason. Jake made mean French toast. I was sure that that's what he was fixing; he knew it was my favorite.

I was lucky to have Jacob Black in my life. No girl ever had a truer friend. He was absolutely supportive, absolutely loyal to me without question. And he was always there for me when I needed him. Jacob and I had always had a strange sort of a bond, even as far back as my very first day back in Forks, all those years ago. And over time, that bond had grown unbelievably strong. Now he was my comfort, my safety, my family, and I loved him as deeply as any sister could love a brother.

And I knew that Jake felt the same way about me. Oh, there had been a time when we were younger that I think Jake fancied himself in love with me, but that was long past. Now he and I were completely comfortable with one another and completely content with our relationship. At least we were until Jake learned that I did nothing but lie to him yesterday.

I shook my head as I toweled off. No. I was not gong to let Jasper Hale ruin another of my days. As far as I was concerned, we had settled things last night with our agreement. Yes, Jasper and I were done, and I would go on with my work, with my life, like he hadn't blown in like a hurricane. And that was the end of it.

I dressed quickly in warm clothes that would be comfortable for work, and headed downstairs. As I neared the kitchen, I was greeted by the smell of bacon. When I walked into the room I saw that I was right – Jacob had made French toast with bacon and sliced fruit. I found it oddly ironic to see the large bowl of fruit sitting on the table next to a platter of greasy bacon.

Jacob looked up from his place at the stove when I walked in. I pointed to the table and raised an eyebrow. Jake understood my observation and responded with a grin and a shrug, then turned back to the stove. I loved that he knew I hated to talk in the mornings. I also loved that he had already brewed a pot of coffee.

As I passed him on my way to the coffee pot I paused, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and mumbled, "Morning."

He returned my kiss and responded with, "Good morning, sunshine."

And that was the end of our morning dialogue. We ate in companionable silence, Jake flipping through the latest edition of _Sports Illustrated_ while I read through his report on the dead mountain lion. Which was a mistake, because it brought Jasper back to my mind. Determined, I pushed him back out and helped Jake with the dishes. Moments later, we were headed for work, Jake leading the way in his truck and me following. And I was stubbornly thinking about _not_ thinking about Jasper Hale.

JACOBS POV

Bella was quiet at breakfast. But then, she's always quiet in the morning. I guess this one shouldn't be any different. I kept glancing in my rearview mirror, doing what I could to keep her in sight.

My heart was heavy, full with the desire to start every day like I had this one – with Bella. I was doing the best that I could to be patient, to let her come to recognize her love for me in her own time. I didn't want to force her. Bella had been through a huge heartbreak, and I didn't want her to feel any unnecessary pressure. But when she was ready to love again, when she finally saw me as a man and not just her friend, I would be ready. I would be ready to love her back.

BELLAS POV

It was cold in the office. The first thing that I did when I walked in was turn up the thermostat.

"You might like the temperature to be perpetually fifty degrees," I told Jacob when he came it, "but not all of us are hot-blooded werewolves."

"Sorry, Bells," he said with a wince. "I was hot last night, so I turned it down after you left." And whereas I was dressed in about seven layers to keep warm, Jacob peeled down to just a t-shirt.

I shook my head. "Why do you even bother to wear a jacket?" I sat down at my desk and switched on my computer.

"I have to look like a normal human, Bella, even if I'm not one." Jacob sat at his own desk, firing up his computer as well. "How would it look if someone dropped in and I was running around outside in the middle of the winter in only a sweatshirt?"

"Dropped in?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Jake, we're in the middle of BF Alaska. Who's going to be dropping in?"

"You never know who could show up," he said. But his eyes were on his computer screen, and I could tell his attention was elsewhere.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It looks like the young male wolf has broken away from the pack and gone off on his own," he told me, studying the screen carefully. "Come and look."

Several of the wolves in the Denali pack had subcutaneous tracking devices imbedded in their skin that allowed us to monitor their location and movements. It made it easy for us to keep and eye on their migratory and hunting habits, as well as their health.

Looking at the topographical grid on Jacob's monitor and the positions of the blinking dots that represented the wolves, I could see that Jacob was right. The pack was down in the river valley, no doubt lying in wait for the deer that would come there to drink. But the lone dot that was the young male wolf was moving in the opposite direction through the forest.

"I should go out there and check on the pack," Jacob said thoughtfully. "The young male and the alpha must have fought. I should make sure that the alpha isn't injured."

"He must have fared pretty well," I observed, "since he's still with the pack and the young male isn't."

"Yeah," Jacob agreed, still watching the screen. "I'd still feel better if I checked out the situation."

"Well, do it then," I encouraged him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to think about anything else until he did.

He rose from his desk. "What's on your schedule today?"

"The caribou herd," I told him. Though Denali was a big park with many hundreds of animals roaming through it, Jacob and I did our best to have some sort of idea about the condition of our animals. We accomplished this by routinely checking on the animals, like Jake had yesterday with the wolves. The particular caribou herd that I was referring to included about twenty head, and many of them were young. The winter was hard on them, but so far was hadn't lost any of them.

"You have an idea where they are?" Jacob asked.

"They were roaming around the base of the western slopes the other day, near the edge of the timber. I'll head out that way first. I can talk the Jeep most of the way, and then hike the rest."

Jake listened to my plan quietly, then nodded his approval. "It's a long way out there," he said, shrugging back into the jacked he'd discarded not ten minutes ago. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, of course not." I walked over to the counter that ran along one of the office walls and plucked two small two-way radios out of their chargers. Clipping one to my belt, I tossed the other across the room to Jacob. He caught it smoothly. He looked at me, at the radio, back at me. "OK," he said finally, tucking the radio into his pocket, "but if you need anything _call me_. This won't do any good unless you use it."

His tone implied that he remembered that I had a habit of inexplicably tripping and falling into trouble.

"You know I will," I promised.

"And take your sidearm," he demanded. "You never know what you might run into out there."

I didn't doubt for a single second that he was referring to the vampires. "In case you don't remember, a gun will do me no good against the creatures that you're worried about."

He gave me an irritated look. "Just do it."

I knew he was right; I needed to be safe. So I grabbed my holster from my bottom desk drawer and carried it with me. I still chuckled at the absurdity of me, Bella Swan, being licensed – required, even – to carry a firearm. It was preposterous. I was lucky that I hadn't yet shot Jake of myself.

"Well, I'm off in the snowcat." Jacob hoisted a shotgun over his shoulder. I acknowledged that he was unbelievably sexy when he was packing heat. "You be careful."

"You, too," I returned. And then, because I felt it was necessary, I added, "And no shooting vampires."

Jacob scowled at me, then went out the door without responding. A minute later, I heard the snowcat's engine fire up head off to the north, toward the river valley, which was about ten miles away.

I geared up quickly, putting my camera, logbook, first aid kit, and canteen full of water in my satchel. I bundled up, winding my scarf around my neck securely and pulling my hat down tightly. I was already getting chilled thinking about having to get into the cold Jeep. I should have had Jacob start it for me. On my way out the door I grabbed a battery-powered fluorescent lantern to light my way through the forest. Though it didn't reach daylight during this time of year, neither was it fully dark. But I knew that the forest would be dark, and I didn't want to get lost.

The drive out to the foothills took a good hour on a clear day. Today I was busting snow drifts, so it took at little longer. I had a compilation CD of some of my favorite songs in the CD player, so I passed the hour-and-a-half drive along with U2, Nickelback, and the GooGoo Dolls. Though I wasn't a great singer, there was no one here to hear me, and I sang out at the top of my lungs. Around a sweeping bend, I slowed and the road came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the forest. I would have to walk from that point. Before I left the Jeep I tossed my holstered pistol into my satchel and tucked my radio safely in my pocket. I had quite a hike ahead of me.

The cold was bitter, and I was grateful that North Face had had the foresight to create and Arctic line. As I walked – or, rather, _tromped_, as the snow was knee-deep – I noticed how quiet it was. There were no birds, there was no wind. And the light snowflakes that were falling around me fell silently. It was almost eerie. Every now and then I saw signs of animal life – tracks, scat, bits of fur, deep claw marks on the trunk of a tree. That particular sign made me glad that the bears were in hibernation. The landscape was so different now, in the winter, than it was in the summer when it was teeming with life. I loved the vibrancy of Alaska in the summer, but there was nowhere that I knew of that was as peaceful as Alaska in the winter.

That was part of the reason that I had chosen to move here. After my life in Forks, after everything that had happened there, the remoteness and space that Alaska offered seemed like just what I needed. I knew that the Denali clan was nearby, but in truth I never expected that our paths would ever cross. We had no reason to seek one another out. But Jasper's appearance had changed all that. Jasper had shattered the peaceful life that I had built for myself here, had set me on edge, had twisted me up into knots. And for that, I would never forgive him. Damn vampire.

I stepped into a small clearing that was surrounded by soaring hardwoods. Immediately my mind went back to another clearing, one in Washington, where Edward had stepped into the sunlight with me watching for the first time. And he had sparkled brilliantly, brighter than diamonds.

"It's ridiculous," I said aloud now. "Whoever heard of a sparkly vampire." But he had been undeniably beautiful.

I pushed the memory from my mind because it hurt. Not in the sharp, gut-wrenching way that it used to, but in a dull, aching way. I had loved him so much.

I closed my eyes for a minute to clear my mind, and took a deep, purifying breath.

When I opened my eyes again I noticed that it had started to snow a little harder. The flakes were bigger, and they were falling much faster. I had not watched the weather that morning, so I didn't know how much snow we were in for. Regardless, I figured I better finish my job and get back to the station as soon as I could. I pulled up the sleeve of my coat and checked my watch – almost noon. It hovered between light and dark now, in that liminal space of gray. But I knew that in a couple of hours it would be full dark, and I had to be out of the forest by then.

The place where I had located the caribou herd on my monitor was nearby, just through the next section of forest, so if I hurried, I should be OK.

The sound of a low growl behind me caused me to spin around. There, crouched not ten feet away, was an enormous solitary gray wolf, his lips curled into a violent-looking snarl, his eyes locked on me. His ear was torn and bloody, and I could see a gaping slash on his shoulder. I had found Jacob's young wolf.

My heart kicked wildly, and I was afraid. I tried to remember my training and what I was supposed to do to frighten off a wolf, but the dominant thought in my head was _get your gun_! I reached slowly for my satchel.

JASPERS POV

I was still brooding. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Not very many things sent me into a spiral like Bella Swan had, and even fewer things kept me riled up. She just plain pissed me off.

Unable to sit still any longer, I had left my cabin early in the morning, and had been prowling around the forest ever since. I really had no purpose – just a hope that the silence of my surroundings would help to calm my mind. So far, my plan had failed miserably. I just kept replaying the last conversation that Bella and I had had in my mind, trying to make sense of it. She had claimed that she had moved on, that she didn't care any longer about the Cullens. I wished that I knew whether or not she was telling the truth. Because if she was, I needed to ask her how she did it. Because I still missed them like crazy. And if she wasn't, I wanted to know why she had lied to me. Maybe I shouldn't have blocked myself from her feelings. If I had let myself sense her emotions, I would probably know the truth. I would . . .

I stopped short, instantly alert. I was sensing some serious emotions – anger, irritation, but most of all, fear. And there was no question in my mind about whose emotions I was sensing. Bella.

I took off like a streak in the direction that the emotions were coming from. As I burst out of the forest and into a small clearing, I immediately saw what was happening. And if I had still had a functioning human heart, it would have stopped beating. Bella was standing in the center of the clearing, one hand in the bag slung over her shoulder. And only a few feet away was a wolf, ready to attack.

Everything happened so fast, I barely had time to think, much less respond. Bella turned toward me. Her wide eyes were filled with fear, but they registered shock, too, when she saw me in the clearing.

"Bella, run!" I yelled to her.

She tried. She made a move toward me. But when she moved, so did the wolf. And all I could see was a gray mass of fur, claws, and fangs spring through the air toward Bella.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, all! Again, and as always, thanks for the awesome reviews. Sorry for the delay in posting, but life is busy. I hope you all like the chapter.

*****

BELLAS POV

I was terrified. The wolf had me in his sights and wasn't backing down. Keeping my eyes on the wolf, I moved my hand around in my satchel, feeling for my gun. Maybe if I could fire it, the noise would frighten the wolf off. But even if I found it, the gun was snapped into its holster; I would have to use both hands to free it, and I was afraid that any large movements would cause the wolf to attack.

My hand finally closed around my holster. Very slowly I started to draw it from my bag. The wolf took a step closer. I froze. What was I going to do?

Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement at the edge of the trees. Instinctively I turned my head toward the movement. And saw Jasper. I felt an instant wave of relief when my eyes met his golden ones. I saw him take in the situation, saw the concern on his face.

"Bella, run!" he yelled to me.

I didn't hesitate. I started toward him. But my step prompted the wolf into action, and he sprang. I felt him hit me, the impact hurtling me backward. There was a sharp pain in my shoulder, and then my head slammed into something hard, and everything went black.

JASPERS POV

I didn't move fast enough to stop the wolf from reaching Bella. My indecision about whether to remain still or to try to reach Bella cost me the precious second that it took for the wolf to attack. It was upon her, knocked her hard to the ground. I saw her hit, and then she was still. The wolf was not. But before he could sink his teeth into Bella's throat I had him. I hit him at a full run and when my body slammed into him we rolled over each other through the deep snow.

The battle was short but violent. The young wolf was strong but I was furious, and I am almost ashamed to say that I showed him no mercy. And when I stood over his body, broken and bleeding, my anger had still not abated. For Bella lay not six feet away unconscious and bleeding. A fleeting thought passed through my mind that Jacob Black was really going to want to kill me now, for not only had I just savagely killed a wolf, but I had also let Bella get hurt. _Fuck Jacob Black_, I thought. I had more important things to think about right now. Like what I was going to do with Bella. I knew she needed to be attended to, but I had a big problem. The last time I had been near even a single drop of Bella Swan's blood I had tried to kill her. And the quantity of blood on her body was far more than a drop.

I couldn't keep myself from inhaling deeply. Edward had been right – her blood sang. She was unconscious – I could so easily taste her blood, drink her dry, and no one would ever know what had happened to her. It was tempting. I hadn't felt the desire for human blood for several years now. Not since, well, the last time I went after Bella. But I desired her blood now. Craved it, even.

Strangely, though, my desire to keep her safe outweighed my desire for her blood. So carefully, very carefully, I lifted her body out of the snow. I rolled my eyes heavenward as the scent of her blood filled my nostrils, clouded my senses. She had a deep gash in her shoulder that was still seeping. It looked like the wolf had bitten her. I pulled her torn coat over the wound, pressing it to the tear in her flesh in an attempt to staunch the blood flow.

Then, carrying her as carefully as I could, I ran eastward through the thickening snow deeper into the forest.

BELLAS POV

It was dark. So dark. My eyelids felt like weights. When I was finally able to fight them open, it was still dark. And I had a hell of a headache.

I lay still, trying to orient myself, trying to remember where I was. But honestly, I had no idea. I sat up then sucked in my breath when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. Carefully I reached up and touched my shoulder gingerly. I felt a soft shirt, but beneath it something firm. A bandage? Testing, I moved my arm. It was stiff and very sore, like the rest of my body. The wolf had definitely done some damage.

Satisfied that though my limbs were sore they were all still there, I looked around me. I was in a bed, large and soft, with a down comforter that trapped in the warmth. The pillows behind me were equally as soft and smelled slightly spicy, a mixture of sandalwood and mint. My eyes had adjusted to the dim light of the room and I could make out a window covered by drawn curtains, a dresser, a chair, and a small stone fireplace. I had never seen this place before, and had absolutely no idea where I was.

Very carefully, very slowly, I climbed out of the bed. I was wearing a pair of soft flannel pants that were too big, and a baggy t-shirt. I concentrated hard, trying to remember what had happened. I had no trouble remembering the wolf. But everything after that was a blur. I ran a hand through my hair and felt a large, tender bump at the back of my head. I must have hit it on something. Maybe that was shy I couldn't remember what had happened.

I found the door; it swung noiselessly on its hinges. The hallway was equally as dim as the room. The plank floor was covered by a long braided rag-rug that ran down the entire length of the hallway. There were closed doors on either side of my as I passed through the hallway and I fleetingly wondered where they led, but I kept on going. I paused when I came to an open staircase. I had no idea what I would be getting into if I went down those steps.

Bit I took them slowly, one at a time.

The stairway opened up into a dark room lit only be a low-burning fire in a large fieldstone hearth. The ceiling was low and criss-crossed with half-log beams, and the reflection of the fire danced on the glass of the square-paned windows.

It was very quiet. The only sound in the – I guess from the appearance it had to be a – cabin was the crackling of the fire. I turned a small circle, my eyes taking in everything in the room. There were books. Lots of books. They lined the shelves of a large bookcase. On the mantle was a sculpture of twisting bronze, beautiful in its simplicity. The couch was leather, dark brown and comfortable-looking. And like in the hallway, rugs covered the hardwood floors. There was nothing extravagant about the room. In fact, it looked basic and lived-in. And very male. The dark lighting, the sparse furniture, the neutral colors – I couldn't imagine this being a woman's house.

Barefoot and a little chilled, I stepped to the hearth. It was odd, I thought, that there were no photographs on the mantle.

I turned, opening my back to the warmth of the flames, and when I did, saw a flash of gold deep in the shadows on the other side of the room. Surprised, I started violently and inhaled a loud gasp. The low chuckle that emanated from the shadows irritated my because it was familiar. Suddenly I knew where I was.

"Damn you, Jasper," I said, my voice betraying my anger. "You couldn't have let me know you were there? Instead you had to hide in the shadows and scare the hell out of me?" Then I added in a quieter, muttering voice, "Because I haven't been through enough today, what with getting attacked by a wild wolf and all."

"Oh, Bella, you always were a little melodramatic." His eyes didn't leave mine as Jasper glided forward, out of the shadows and toward me.

That made me furious. Melodramatic? The bastard.

"Where am I?" I demanded.

Jasper had stopped an arm's length away. The firelight sparked in his eyes, it his hair to shining gold. He looked relaxed and unconcerned. Well award of his ability to read and influence my emotions, I tried very hard to bury everything that I was feeling. Except maybe the anger. That I let smolder. I didn't care if he knew how pissed I was. He wore an irritating smirk on his face, one that I would have been compelled to admit made him look unbelievably hot is anger hadn't been clouding my thoughts.

"This is my home," Jasper said simply, spreading his arms out. "Welcome."

I was instantly suspicious. "Jake said that the house was a chalet-style, not a cabin," I argued.

"That is where the others live. _This_ is where _I_ live."

It made sense. Even back when Jasper was with the Cullens he had kept himself slightly distanced from the others. It looked like things were the same here.

"I see." I was uncomfortable with how close he was to me, but there was no way that I was going to be the one to back away.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. He reached a hand out toward the couch, indicating that I should sit down. Relieved, both because I was tired and because it gave me an excuse to step away from him, I complied.

"Sore," I admitted in response to his question. I didn't think that mentioning my pain would make me appear weak. Anyone who wasn't a little sore after being attacked by a two-hundred-pound wolf had to have super-strength. Or, I thought, narrowing my eyes at Jasper, who still stood looking down at me, vampire strength.

"That is to be expected." Jasper settled onto the other end of the couch. "You are fortunate to be alive. And very lucky that I happened along."

I shifted on the couch so that I faced him. "How _did_ you 'happen' to be there, anyway?" I was a little suspicious about that part. Of all the thousands of acres in Denali, he 'happened' to be in that very same area as the one where I got attacked? The odds were astronomical.

"The suspicion is rolling off you in waves," Jasper said, sounding amused.

"Just answer the question," I demanded. I was in no mood to be mocked by the vampire. "How did you find me?"

Jasper lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. "The same way that I know you're good and pissed now. The same way that I know that you harbor resentment, anger, and a tiny sliver of hatred toward me. I sensed your feelings." He watched me carefully then, presumably waiting for my response.

"Did you know it was me?" I asked quietly. "Or is fear fear?"

"Each person's feelings have a uniqueness about them, kind of like a signature. The better I know someone, the more frequently I sense their feelings, the easier it is for me to identify whose feelings I am experiencing."

"So you knew it was me, then." For some reason, I was glad that he had responded to my fear, that he had come to help rather than just leaving me to fend for myself.

"I had a vague idea that it was you," Jasper said. "I was not positive."

Then I was confused. "How can that be?" I asked. "You've certainly spent lots of time with me."

He paused before he answered, and when he finally did speak, his voice was quiet. "Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"I did everything I could to stay away from you when we were in Forks. You p resented much too big a temptation for me, so I kept my distance. Until I couldn't."

It was odd; his voice sounded almost regretful. But I didn't want to talk about Forks, or about the Cullens. "What about the times you've been with me here?" I asked instead, to progress the conversation and keep the focus on the present.

"I haven't gotten any readings from you here."

"What do you mean?" I almost laughter, remembering the raging range of emotions that I had experienced since I saw Jasper in that coffee shop. "I've definitely had some feelings."

"I'm sure that's true," Jasper said with a nod. "But I haven't sensed any of them because I've been blocking you out."

"Blocking me out?" I didn't know whether to be relieved or offended.

"No offense meant," Jasper assured me.

I scowled at him. Sure, _now_ he decided to acknowledge my feelings. "What do you mean you've been blocking me out?"

"It's just something that I learned from –" Jasper stopped himself, as if he had been about to say something he hadn't intended. He composed himself and continued, "something I learned. It's a way to shield myself from the feelings and emotions of others."

"So you can turn it off?" I didn't know that was possible. Immediately I thought about Edward. Edward had special abilities like Jasper, only Edward could read minds, not emotions. He used to get so tired of having to listen to the thoughts of everyone around him. I wondered if he had found the same kind of relief that Jasper had.

"Not completely." Jasper folded his hands behind his head and leveled his gaze at me. "If I concentrate on e single person, I can block the emotions coming from them. I'm still working on developing the skill to work on more than one person at a time."

"I see." It was very interesting that he had learned do that. "So tell me, Jasper, why don't you want to know what I'm feeling?"

JASPERS POV

Damn. Walked right into that one.

How was I supposed to answer that question? _I don't really like you so I don't really care what you're feeling?_ No, a little too harsh even for Bella Swan. _I didn't want to have to share your feelings of love and loss for my brother, my family_? Closer to the truth. Perhaps too close.

Instead, I shrugged in a way I hoped looked casual. "To tell you the truth, Bella, I thought the less I knew about you, the better it would be for both of us." I watched her face carefully for her response. She looked thoughtful. Then, with a shrug very much like my own, she said, "Makes sense."

That surprised me. I had expected her to be affronted. But it sure made things easier this way. "I'm glad you agree," I told her.

"Oh," she said with a shake of her head," I just said that it made sense, not that I agree with you."

God, I really didn't want to argue. It was pressing my limits of tolerance just having her in the house. The last thing I needed was to get into a hot-blooded argument with her. But before I could say anything, she asked, "How badly am I hurt?"

I breathed a small sigh of relief. This I could talk freely about. "You've got a pretty deep laceration on your shoulder, from teeth or claws or both; I'm not really sure which. And you hit your head on a rock when you fell. You were unconscious for a while." I paused because she paled slightly, but then went on. "I cleaned your shoulder and stitched it up. I'm pretty sure you'll have a scar. I'm not quite as handy with a needle as Carlyle." I felt a little bad about the fact that this incident would leave a permanent mark on her body.

Her eyes met mine. "And the clothes?"

"Mine." I didn't blink. And I tried not to let myself think about what I had seen when I was dressing her wound and getting her into clean, dry clothes. It wouldn't be good for either of us.

"Thank you."

What? No indignant protest? No scandalized anger? Would I ever understand Bella Swan? Probably not. _And neither do you want to_, I reminded myself sharply. _Nothing but trouble there._

"You're welcome."

"Could I impose upon you to drive me back to my truck?" Bella stood slowly. I could tell that she was being careful. Her shoulder must have really hurt.

"Nope," I said, retaining my seat on the couch.

She narrowed those brown eyes at me in a way that made me want to laugh. "I beg your pardon?"

"Hell of a storm going on outside. Can't go anywhere until it lets up," I explained.

"Really?" Damned if she didn't look like she suspected me of lying to her.

"See for yourself." I jerked my head toward the window. It had started snowing hard before I even got her back to the cabin. Truthfully, it was a relief because navigating through the heavy snow gave me something to think about other than the sweet smell of Bella's blood right under my nose.

She did go to the window. "Oh, my," she said when she looked out into the night and saw the blizzard. She turned back to me. "How long has it been doing that?"

"A couple hours," I told her.

One of her eyebrows arched upward. "How long have I been here?"

"A couple hours," I repeated.

She sighed. "Jacob's going to worried sick about me. I need to call him. Can I use your phone?"

"You could," I said slowly," but I don't have one."

She looked at me with disbelief. "You don't have a phone? At all?"

"Nope. The girls have one at their house that I use if I need one, but I didn't want one here. I prefer not to be so easily accessible."

"Whatever." Clearly, she thought I was crazy. Well, that was great. The feeling was mutual. "My cell phone was in my pack. I'll just use that. Did you bring it?"

"I did, but there's no cell service out here. It won't do you any good." I have to admit that I got a kick out of her annoyance.

"That's just great," she complained, returning to the couch and dropping down on it. I hid a smile at the wince of pain that crossed her face when her movements jarred her injured shoulder. _Teach you to throw a fit, _I thought, satisfied. Then, as if in retaliation for my lack of phone connection, she said sulkily, "Jake's going to be pissed that you killed that wolf."

I didn't tell her that the same thought had passed through my mind. Instead, I said, "Well, it was either you or the wolf. Maybe I made the wrong choice."

Bella glared at me. "What kind of person doesn't have _any_ telephone _at all_?"

So we were back to that, were we? "I wouldn't know," I said.

"What do you mean by that?" Her voice still held a note of irritation, but I could tell the question was genuine. So I felt inclined to answer.

"I'm just not sure that I fall under the category of 'person', what with me being eternally damned and all."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Now you sound like Edward."

Strangely curious to hear her answer, I leaned forward, halving the distance between us, and asked, "Am I wrong?"

Bella's eyes met mine and held. She didn't back away from me, and neither did she answer sarcastically. Instead, her voice was thoughtful, serious. "I think that you are an immortal, and that comes with certain characteristics and certain consequences. There are some, like the nomads who came to Forks, who destroy life without thought or remorse. And then there are some, like you, who protect people from harm. Even though it doesn't beat, Jasper Hale, you have a good heart. Beings with good hearts don't get eternally damned."

I was stunned. Could she really feel that way after what I had done to her? I had tried to kill her, made her lose the man that she loved and those who had become her family. How could she call me good?

My mind was still trying to process her comments when Bella stood up and said, "I'm pretty tired, Jasper. Since I can't go home I guess I'm going to have to stay here. Got a place for me to sleep?"

The idea of her being under my roof for the entire night made me profoundly uncomfortable. Aside from my Denali family, I hadn't spent the night in a house with a woman since I left Alice and the Cullens. And Bella wasn't anything like them. She was human, with fresh, sweet-smelling blood coursing through her body. But she was right – there wasn't anywhere else for her to go. She had to stay.

Resigned to the situation and resolved to remain strong, I rose too. "Of course," I answered her question. "You can have my room. I don't actually use it for sleeping."

"I appreciate it," she said. And I could feel that she did. I led the way upstairs to my room, the same room I had left her sleeping in after I bandaged her shoulder. At the door I paused. "There's a bathroom right across the hall," I told her, pointing to the closed door. "You're welcome to whatever you need."

"Thank you."

I opened the door to my bedroom, switched on the light, and then stepped back into the hallway. I held out my arm, indicating that she should go it. She stopped just inside the doorway and turned back to face me.

"Thank you for what you did." Her eyes were earnest, the deep brown of them sharp and glinting. "Not just for saving my life but for bringing me back here and talking care of me."

I knew it cost her a lot to say that with the way she felt about me. "You're welcome," I said with a slight bow. Our eyes locked then, and held for what seemed to me like a lifetime. But then she took a step back and put her hand on the doorknob.

"Do I need to lock the door?" she asked. I knew she was only partially joking.

That's up to you," I told her. "Good night, Bella." Then I turned to walk away.

Her voice trailed behind me. "Good night, Jasper."

I listened carefully when she closed the door, and felt an odd surge of satisfaction when I didn't hear the click of the lock.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey, everyone! Sorry about the delay, but I have been re-watching all of the seasons of _Battlestar Galactica_ in preparation for the release of season 4.5 last week. I kinda got caught up in the show and didn't do a lot of writing for a while. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. And things are going to start really heating up soon!

BELLAS POV

I thought about locking the door. I really did. But then I acknowledged the fact that if Jasper had wanted to kill me, he could have done it a dozen times while I was unconscious and bleeding in his arms. But he didn't. No, tonight at least, I was safe with Jasper Hale.

Jasper had led me to the same room that I had woken up in. Now that the lights were on, I took a good look around. The exterior walls were log, the interior ones painted a deep brick red. The plank floor was bare, uncovered by any rugs. A black-and-white winter landscape print hung on one wall, but I noticed that there were no photographs here, either. I thought that was very odd. The Cullens' house had been filled with pictures, memories frozen in time.

_Maybe Jasper doesn't want to remember. . . _

I was madly curious about that – about why Jasper was here, living here – alone. He had told me, "Things change" in reference to his relationship with Alice, but I had no idea what he meant. Was it possible that Jasper and the Cullens had gone their separate ways? I could hardly imagine that being true. The Jasper Hale that I knew was absolutely devoted to Alice, to the Cullens. What could have possibly happened to change that?

The idea that sprang to mind was not pleasant. What if _I_ had happened? What if _I_ was the reason that Jasper was here, living so far away from his family? The thought was sobering. And, of course _crazy._ I shook my head. There was no way that the Cullens would abandon Jasper, and vice-versa, just because of that, just because of me. Would they? The truth was, I was speculating, and when I did that, I got in trouble. I came up with some crazy-ass ideas when I let my imagination get the better of me. So, no more speculations about the status of the relationship between Japer and Alice or Jasper and the Cullens. In fact, no more speculation about Japer Hale at all.

Besides, I was exhausted. Again. Still. And Jasper's bed looked so comfortable. But my mind was still reeling from the events of the day. Jasper had saved me, made a conscious effort to preserve me life. Why would he do that? The question plagued me. It seemed so, well, _contradictory_. Jasper hated me. I held absolutely no illusions about his feelings toward me. So it didn't make any sense at all that he would go out of his way to rescue me from danger. The problem with wondering was that it again led me down the road of speculation. But this time, I went with it. Because it concerned my well-being.

I wondered if Jasper's actions could possibly have something to do with Edward. Maybe Jasper had rescued me from the wolf out of some misguided sense of loyalty to Edward. If that was the case, then he had wasted his time. Edward may have loved me once – and I doubted now whether that was even true – but I meant nothing to him now. Jasper's heroic battle with a wild animal to save my life would be the last thing that Edward Cullen cared about. But surely Jasper _must_ know that. Jasper and Edward were very close; Jasper had to know how Edward felt about me. So he must have had a different reason for his actions, some other motive. But what?

And there I was, speculating without coming to any answers. I sighed. I could ask myself _why?_ over and over, but it wouldn't do me any good. I didn't know Jasper's mind or his reasons behind the things he did, and I probably never would. But, regardless, I was still curious.

My body groaned in relief when I climbed under the down comforter on Jasper's bed and stretched out on my back. I had not disclosed to Jasper the extent of my soreness. Every muscle in my body ached. I felt like I had been hit by a freight train. What I really needed, besides sleep, was a vicadin and a glass of wine. Mmm, that sounded heavenly. But I supposed that night I was going to have to settle for just the sleep.

JASPERS POV

It was like that line from _Casablanca_: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns. . ." or what the fuck ever. Because she was _here_, in my gin joint, in my town. And I wasn't any happier about it than Bogart had been.

I was back in my den sitting in the dark in a chair, staring into the fire. The coals glowed orange, giving off only a dim light. The quiet, the dark, the fire – I would have been completely relaxed. But I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so keyed up. It was ridiculous. I had come here, to Denali, looking for some peace where I could live out from under the shadow of the memories of my family. That plan had gone all to hell now that I knew Bella Swan was near. Not only did she keep the demon in me stirred up, but she was a constant reminder of the family that I had loved and lost. How was I going to survive having her here? Not just in my house, but in Denali, in Alaska?

Plus, the situation was complicated further by the presence of the wolf. Jacob Black and his kind had been a danger to us even back in Forks, when I had my brothers and Carlisle to fight beside me if it had come to that. Now, if Black summoned the rest of the La Push Quileute pack, I would be in serious trouble without any backup. I mean, Eleazar and the girls were formidable, don't get me wrong, but against a pack of werewolves, anything less than the help of my brothers would fall short. I was truly concerned about the threat that Jacob Black posed to my family here in Denali.

I wondered how much influence Bella had over her pet wolf. Would he honor the agreement that she and I had struck the night before, the agreement that we had made to stay out of each other's way? _Yeah,_ I snorted cynically, _that_ had worked out well. Not only had I sensed and sought her out in the forest but I also had saved her life. And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, I had brought her home with me. To my cabin. In the middle of a fucking blizzard. Where there was a good chance that we'd be snowed in. Alone.

I scowled and stared hard into the coals. _Fucking great._

BELLAS POV

I had dreams, strange dreams, about writhing shadows and whirling mists. I dreamed I was lost in those shadows, in the mist, and was trying to find my way out. I thought it was hopeless. Every time I changed directions in an attempt to escape, I found myself deeper in the darkness. Then suddenly, in the distance, I saw a clearing where the shadows were chased away by the light and the mist was lifted. I ran toward it. And there, in the center of the stillness, stood Jasper, his golden eyes shining.

"Finally," he said to me in a faintly echoing voice," I wondered if you'd ever find your way to me." Then he held out his hand. In it he held a perfect, long-stemmed rose, as red as the blood that flowed through my veins. Enchanted, I reached for it. But when my hand closed over the stem, a sharp thorn pricked my finger. I dropped the rose in reaction and looked at my finger. A single drop of crimson blood welled up from the wound. I saw a flash of fire in Jasper's eyes and was instantly frightened. I picked up the tail of my shirt to dab away the blood, but Jasper caught my hand in his own. My eyes flew up to meet his, which were already on my face. His eyes held my own as slowly, very slowly, he lifted my injured hand to his mouth. And softly he closed his mouth around my finger. I could feel his tongue slick away the blood then brush the tip of my finger. Then he drew my finger out and dropped a kiss on the back of my hand.

"Thank you." My knees were so weak that I could barely stand, let alone put together an intelligent thought.

"I'll always take care of you," Jasper told me. "And you need not fear me."

His voice was so calming, his eyes so bright, that I felt completely safe – wanted to trust him, even.

Then he spoke again. "Wake up now, Bella."

And I did. I sat bolt upright in the bed, looking around wildly.

He was there, in the corner of the room. First, I could sense him. It was mildly disturbing to me that I was tuned in to him enough to feel his presence. Then, in the dim light of night his eyes glinted like liquid gold.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded. "And don't you dare say 'Watching you sleep.' I'm over thinking that is anything other than creepy."

"I wasn't watching you sleep. Because I agree – that's fucking creepy."

His voice was low and measured and carried the same calm tone that it had in my dream. And how weird was it that I had dreamed of him, and then woke up to find him in my room?

"So what are you doing here? Just because I didn't lock the door doesn't mean I was giving you an invitation to come into my room whenever you want."

"My room," Jasper said.

"What?"

"My house, my room."

I knew he had the advantage, because he was right. I was injured, in his house, at his mercy. I knew that Jasper could see me as well now in the dark of the room as he could in the middle of the day. I, on the other hand, could only vaguely distinguish the shape of his body from shadow.

I saw him step forward, saw the shadows shift as he stepped away from them.

"I thought I should check on you," he said finally. His voice was much closer than I had expected it to be, and I tensed. It was my immediate reaction to be suspicious of him, of his actions, his intentions. It just seemed a safer way of thinking, to be cautious rather than trusting. But he did sound sincere.

"Why?"

"Well," he took another step closer," I wasn't sure whether you got a concussion from your head slamming into that rock or not. I was hoping you were OK – was relatively sure that you were – but didn't want to take a chance. After I went through all the trouble to save you and all."

I desperately wished for more light, to put me on more even footing with him.

"Well, thanks for your concern. But I'm pretty sure that I'm fine," I told him, hoping it would prompt him to go away. But I had no such luck. Rather than leave the room, he took another step closer to the bed where I still sat in the middle, blankets pooled around my waist.

"No headache, blurred visions, grogginess?"

"Of course I'm groggy, Hale, I just woke up from a sound sleep. And since when did you become Carlisle?"

"See," he moved fluidly to the side of the bed then, and knelt down so that our eyes were even, "that concerns me. Considering when you went through today, you should have slept like the dead."

I keeping with me knee-jerk reaction to be bitchy to Jasper I shot, "You would know more about that than me."

I heard his sigh as he straightened and felt an annoying pang of guilt. Which I definitely _shouldn't_ feel, for God's sake, considering whom I was talking to. But, nevertheless, I felt compelled to put his strangely sudden and uncharacteristic regard for my well-being at ease. "I had a dream."

"Pardon?"

"Just now. I had a dream. That's what woke me up. Not a concussion." I paused, then added, "Besides, if I did have a concussion, the danger would be in my sleeping _too much_, not in waking up. Seriously, your father's a doctor. You should know things like that."

He ignored my snarky comment, acted like he hadn't even heard me. But his eyes had changed, brightened to sparking. "What did you dream about?"

Over my dead body was I going to tell Jasper Hale that I had been dreaming about him.

"Oh, I don't really remember," I evaded, though I am sure that he knew I was lying.

But he didn't challenge my claim. Instead, he said thoughtfully, "That's too bad. You can tell a lot about a person from their dreams."

JASPERS POV

I didn't tell her that I had a pretty good idea what she had been dreaming about. When she woke, her eyes had been wide, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion. I was genuinely interested in the fact that Bella avoided talking about Edward in anything other than passing. And she never talked about what happened between the two of them. But I was sure that it had been my brother that she had been dreaming of.

I was man enough to admit that it bothered me. I didn't know – or maybe didn't _want_ to know – why the thought of Bella dreaming about Edward bothered me, but it did. And I was having a hell of a time discerning my feelings of regret from resentment from jealousy. Fuck. For an empath, I was absolutely worthless when it came to analyzing my own feelings.

I knew that I hated Bella Swan, hated everything she was, everything she represented. But I was strangely and disturbingly drawn to her. I was sure that it had something to do with the fact that she was – albeit tenuous – a connection to my family. Even though it hadn't been for very long, Bella had been a Cullen. And now, neither of us was a Cullen anymore. And the truth of the matter was, we were both to blame. She was the reason I had been effectively tossed out on my ass, and I was the reason that Edward had left her. I'm not sure which one of us had more of a right to be angry with the other. Maybe neither of us. But I was absolutely sure that I had unresolved issues with Bella Swan that, whether she liked it or not, we were going to deal with. And the way I was feeling, I had a good idea that it would be sooner rather than later.

But even worse that that, all I could think about in the dark of night, as she sat in my bed, in my clothes, surrounded by shadows, was how beautiful she was.

JACOBS POV

My first instinct was to go to the sisters' chalet and break down the door, demand that they tell me where Bella was. Because my gut told me that those damn vampires had something to do with the fact that she hadn't returned to the station. And God knows, that's what I wanted to do.

Instead, I sat in the station thinking.

It was snowing like a motherfucker outside, and there was a chance that Bella had gotten caught in the blizzard, had found shelter, and was waiting out the storm. Or she may have gone straight home without stopping at the station, hoping to stay ahead of the worst of the storm. Those were both viable, reasonable possibilities. Ones that would be great, if either of them were actually true. The problem was, I knew that no matter what, no matter where she was, she would have radioed me if she was OK. And she hadn't. And I couldn't get her to answer my radio hails.

So there was a feeling I had, a feeling that said that in one way or another, the vampires were to blame for her absence.

I was perfectly willing to admit that I hated those vampires – every last one of them. But I wasn't ready to say that my hatred was shading my perception of the situation. And even though I had refrained from attacking them and demanding they tell me where Bella was tonight, tomorrow was a very different day.

BELLAS POV

He was still standing there, looking at me. It made me feel incredibly self-conscious. But the strangeness of it was almost enough to make me forget about how much my shoulder hurt.

I saw a change in his face, in his eyes. They seemed to soften. And when they did, Jasper closed the remaining distance between himself and the bed, settling lightly on the edge of the mattress.

It was sheer instinct, plain and simple, that had me scrambling out of the bed to the other side of the room.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jasper asked, sounding seriously annoyed and a little hurt.

I felt ridiculous. "I'm sorry," I said, and I really meant it. "Habit." Slowly I moved back toward the bed and sat back down on the very edge, opposite Jasper.

Jasper shook his head, but when he spoke his voice was light. "You try to kill someone _one time_ and they never forgive you for it."

"Yeah, well," I returned, taking a chance and sliding all of the way back onto the bed and leaning against the headboard, "you try being the almost meal next time and then let me know how you feel about it."

Jasper lifted his eyes to mine and held contact as he slid back to the headboard himself, mirroring my position. He waited a beat and I knew he was giving me time to adjust to his nearness. When he saw that I wasn't going to freak out, he nodded and said, "Point taken."

I analyzed my feelings right then very carefully. And honestly, I felt OK about him being so close to me. Just a little nervous, but not bad. I didn't feel like I was in any danger. In fact, I really felt very safe in his presence. After all, he _had_ saved my life.

Unbidden, my mind turned to another time, to another place, where Jasper had both accepted and carried out the role of my protector very admirably. He had guarded my life, fought for me, helped kill for me. In another time, in another place.

I looked over at him. He was looking at me. And he was very close.

"You're nervous." It was a statement, not a question. And he kept looking at me.

"I'm not," I denied.

"Bella." His voice was low and I felt a shiver go through my body at the sound of my name spoken in that tone. "Empath, remember?"

Stupid vampire superpowers. He knew what I was feeling better than I did.

"So what if I'm nervous. Do you blame me?" I was defensive now, and I hated not only the fact that he could hear hurt and confusion in my voice, but the fact that they were present there in the first place. "I mean, after all, you did spend a year with me, called me sister, protected me from James, and then tried to kill me yourself. Why shouldn't I feel completely comfortable with you?" By the end of my statement, my voice had taken on a sarcastic tone.

Jasper sighed deeply and he closed his eyes, bowed his head. "I'm sorry."


	12. Chapter 12

Hi, Everyone! So sorry for the delay, but I have three chapters ready to go in rapid succession! Thanks to all of you who keep asking for updates, and to you who love and support this story!

JASPERS POV

So, we had come to it at last. The moment of truth, the moment of reckoning. She had brought it out into the open, and there was no turning away from it.

Everything that she said was right. I had called her sister. I had protected her, fought James for her. And I had tried to kill her. _Would have_ killed her, if it hadn't been for Edward. She was right, and I had no idea what to say. I felt guilty for what I had done. I had told everyone else – Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Esme – that I was sorry for what I had done. But I had never told Bella. I had never told Bella.

Ashamed, I sighed. What kind of man – _thing_ – was I that I could try to kill my brother's love and not try to make amends? I dropped my head, closed my eyes, and in as humble a voice as I could muster, said, "I'm sorry," to Bella.

BELLAS POV

"What?" I couldn't keep the shock from my voice.

Slowly he raised his head. His eyes were dark, the molten gold having hardened into a dull shine. "I'm sorry. For trying to kill you. You trusted me, and I let you down. I'll always be sorry for it."

I couldn't believe it. He really meant it. There was no doubt in my mind that he really meant it. I could see the regret on his face, hear it in his voice. And I had no idea how to respond.

He must have sensed my confusion because a small, ironic smile came to his lips. "Weren't expecting that, huh?"

I didn't see any reason not to tell him the truth. "I definitely was not expecting that."

Jasper lifted an eyebrow in question. "What were you expecting?"

I looked over at him. He was stretched out on the bed, his long body completely relaxed, legs crowed at the ankles and hands behind his head. In that particular moment, I hated him for being able to remain so calm and relaxed in a situation like this one. I was on edge, jumpy, and just generally pathetic. I couldn't let him get the upper hand, though. So I steeled myself. I gathered around me every bit of pride, of courage that I had within me, hoping it would be enough to keep him from having a huge advantage over me.

And when I finally answered him, I congratulated myself for the fact that there wasn't the slightest hint – not even the smallest tremor – of nervousness in my voice. "I'm not sure, exactly. Maybe excuses. You know, ones like, 'Hello, vampire. It's what I do.' Or, 'I just couldn't help myself.' But for you to apologize – that was a surprise."

Jasper shrugged his shoulders and looked up at the ceiling. "I've had a lot of time to think about that night, about what happened and how things went down. And it sure as hell isn't one of my proudest moments."

Was I hearing him right? It sounded like it still bothered him. But it had been five years ago! Surely he wasn't still beating himself up over something that happened that long ago, right?

Speculations again. But this time I wasn't going to settle for speculations, for guesses. As long as Jasper was in the talking and apologizing mood, I was going to get some damn answers.

"Jasper, that was five years ago. You can't possibly still be thinking about what happened." In fact, chances were that he hadn't thought about it in years, until he ran into me the other day.

"Bella," he was still looking at the ceiling, "I regret it every day. Every single day."

If he had pledged his undying love for me right then I couldn't have been more surprised.

"What?" I knew I sounded like an idiot, but I couldn't help it. I was sure my eyes were "holy shit" wide and my mouth may have even been hanging open a little. But damn, in my own defense, I felt kinda like I'd been hit be a Mack truck.

I sat frozen, staring at Jasper as he very slowly, very deliberately, turned his eyes to me. And then I was drowning in the molten gold, so familiar because it was the same color as Edward's eyes, yet so foreign because it was Jasper. His gaze was solid, unwavering, and I was powerless to turn away or even to speak. I was flooded by emotions I could not identify – anger? excitement? attraction? fear? - and it was clouding my mind.

I saw the corners of Jasper's mouth lift in a semi-smile. "It's confusion," he said, his voice low.

"What is?" I asked.

"The emotion you're feeling. Collectively, it's confusion."

"Get out of my head," I demanded. I hated that he could put into words things about myself that I could not. And I still hadn't figured out why Jasper's gifts worked on me when Edward's hadn't.

"Bella."

I tensed when he reached out and splayed his hand open-palmed over the left half of my chest. "I'm not in your head. I'm in your heart."

My breath clogged in my lungs and I was sure that my heart was going to beat through my chest. The weight of his hand on me was the only thought in my mind. Had Jasper ever touched me before? I couldn't remember. He didn't move his hand. I watched him carefully.

His eyes closed and an almost peaceful look came over his face. He tipped his head sideways.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice quiet because the situation seemed to call for it.

"Just listening," he said without moving. "And feeling."

I didn't know what to do. I knew I should move, but honestly, I didn't want to. Something compelled me to stay still, to sit quietly with his hand over my heart.

"You've got so much life inside you, Bella. I almost took it from you once."

I couldn't help it – my mind turned back to that night. I remember being uncomfortable, embarrassed because I was the center of attention. Alice had gone way overboard – as Alice was prone to do – with candles and gifts and a huge cake. I had asked her not to make a big deal out of it, but she never listened to me when it came to things like that. I do remember that I had been excited about one thing – spending my birthday with Edward. Well, I hadn't actually been excited about it being my _birthday_ at all; my eighteenth birthday meant that I had aged past Edward's eternally seventeen-year-old body. That fact I hated. But I did love the fact that I was going to be spending the evening with the Cullens – and with Edward.

The evening had started out so wonderfully. Edward had shared with me information about the Volturi, a powerful vampire clan in Italy who took it upon themselves to enforce vampiric law. And he had kissed me – something he had, in my opinion, never done enough of. That night, for the briefest period of time, I had truly felt like I was part of the Cullen family. Even now, without and effort at all, I could still remember, still feel, the intensity of the love I had felt for Edward Cullen then.

But with those happy memories, inevitably the horrible ones surfaced as well. It washed over me in a wave, the sorrow. Instantly I knew that it had been a mistake to open myself up to the memories of Edward, as my heart constricted and my lungs gasped for the air that I couldn't seem to take in. Oh, God, I needed Jacob.

Jasper must have seen the change in my eyes. Or felt the change in the rhythm of my heart, because he drew his hand away and asked, "What is it?"

I could not tell him, he would think me weak. I lifted my eyes to his face, saw his uncertain expression. And became angry. I hated that he was here, so close, to see me fall apart, after I had spent the last two days trying to impress upon him the fact that I was fine, that I was over Edward, and had moved on with my life. I was in real danger of having an emotional breakdown, and he was sitting there watching me, probably analyzing every feeling I was having. And I hated that. It pissed me off.

"Leave me alone." My voice was cold, hard.

"What?" I could tell he was trying to sort out the source of my abrupt mood change. I certainly wasn't going to tell him what it was.

"Go away, Jasper. I'm tired." I had to get rid of him somehow – I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes.

He drew back quickly, was back off the bed and by the door in a flash. "Fine," he said, his voice tight and cold. And then he was gone with a sharp slam of the door.

I forced myself to breathe. I had to, because otherwise the pain in my chest would suffocate me. It had been so long since I had allowed myself to think of Edward, so long since I had opened my mind to him enough to remember every curve of his face, the bronze of his hair, the feel of his touch. . . And now I was being overwhelmed. In truth, I would never have dreamed that he could still have this big of an effect on me. But apparently, he did. I turned over onto my good side and pulled my knees up to my chest, hoping to compress the pain. It was excruciating. I had forgotten that it was possible to hurt so much.

JASPERS POV

I should have just killed her. I really should have. Because she was driving me fucking crazy. It would have been better for both of us if I had just killed her. . .

Never could I remember having been provoked to violent anger so many times in such a very few days. The problem was, no matter how resolved I was to stay away from Bella Swan, something always happened to throw us back together. I didn't believe in karma, but if I did, I'd think that karma was using Bella Swan to pay me back for all the terrible things I had done in the past. But really, how could I be expected to deal with this fucked-up situation?

I mean, she – the bane of my eternal existence – was under my roof and sleeping in my bed. How did that even happen? I hated Bella Swan. _Hated_ her. And here she was, in my house, a place that not even my family came to. I had to get rid of her, had to get her out of here. The problem with that was, if she wasn't here with me then she was going to be with the wolf. And to tell you the truth, the wolf concerned me a great deal. Jacob Black was strong and he was smart. And he loved Bella. The combination of those three things presented a relatively large problem for me. Because if I _did_ kill her, I knew I would eventually have to fight him. And he could call for backup and the rest of his pack would come. I didn't have any backup. I couldn't involve the Denali clan in this mess – it was a Cullen affair. Unfortunately, I was no longer a Cullen. No, I was in this alone. So I knew I had to tread carefully until I was ready to fight the wolf.

I stopped pacing and stood still in front of the fireplace. I forced my mind to quiet, and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and opened myself, reached out toward Bella. If I was going to find a way to get rid of her without killing her, I was going to have to get to know her, learn her strengths and weaknesses so I could exploit them.

The cabin was absolutely still, silent. I pushed out toward her harder.

The sorrow was so powerful that I staggered back a step. It was heart-rending and gut-wrenching. I had never felt such intense pain. It felt as if a huge hole had been punched through my chest. I clutched a hand to my heart, and even though it no longer beat, right now it ached.

What could possibly cause Bella this much pain?

I tried to think back to the conversation we had. She had been perfectly fine – friendly, even – until I mentioned the fact that I had almost taken her life once. But it's not like that was news to her. . . I mean, she was there, along with everyone else. _Along with everyone else_. Along with _Edward_. The thought hit me suddenly, and I instantly identified the source of Bella's pain. It was the loss of love. I recognized it myself, though I had to admit that I had never been as wrecked as it appeared Bella was.

This changed things. Now I understood why she did not speak of Edward. It was because she was not fully healed from the wounds he had given her. Interesting that I did not feel any love, though. She was, apparently, over that particular emotion. Or it was clouded by the intensity of her pain and I couldn't detect it. Either way, if this was the way that she felt off of the time, it was no wonder she stayed with the wolf. It would impossible to bear something like this alone.

_Now _what was I going to do? _I _had caused this. _I_ was the reason that she was feeling this pain, because _I_ was the reason Edward left her. What was I going to do?

I sat down heavily on the couch. The pain had not lessened. If anything, it had grown even more acute. I could have blocked her, and relieved myself of the torture of Bella's feelings. But I didn't. It only seemed fair that I feel what Bella was feeling, considering my part in it.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello to all! I am still alive! I know that some of you were wondering… Those of you who have remained loyal to the story and occasionally ask for updates – I appreciate you so much. Life has slowed slightly, so I am going to try to update as often as I can. Thanks for hanging in there…

CHAPTER 13

JASPER

It was nearly dawn when Bella finally fell asleep. I sighed with relief as the pulsing pain eased to a dull ache. I couldn't believe that she could still hurt so much after so long. She must have loved my brother very much.

I wondered if she experienced this pain often, if it was something that she lived with every day. If so, Bella Swan was unbelievably brave.

No longer crippled under the weight of Bella's sorrow, I moved to the window. The snow had not slowed at all. It was still so thick that I could not see the tree line. We wouldn't be going anywhere today. Great. What was I going to do, trapped inside the cabin all day with Bella Swan? And how was I going to keep from sinking me teeth into her neck?

JACOB

I was ready to kill someone. And if I didn't hear from Bella within the next couple of hours, promise or not, I was going vampire hunting.

BELLA

I felt like I had been through a battle, physically and emotionally. My shoulder hurt, my head hurt, my heart hurt. The physical pain I could manage. I had drugs in my bag. The emotional pain was not so easy to dispose of. It would not be easy for me to lock away the feelings of pain and sorrow and loss that had surfaced along with the memories of Edward. But, I had done it once before, and I would do it again. The problem was, last time I had been able to rely on Jake and draw my strength from him. And now I was stuck here, in the middle of nowhere, with Jasper Hale, a vampire who had once tried to kill me and whom I despised. The situation was not conducive to emotional stability. Especially since Jasper was able to not only sense every emotion, every feeling I had, but also influence my feelings. I hated that he had that ability.

I had no idea what time it was, but I no longer felt like staying in bed. I didn't want Jasper to think that I was hiding from him. I _wouldn't _hide from him, no matter how much I dreaded being in the same room with him.

I gasped when I threw back the covers. "Fuck, it's cold!" I couldn't help but exclaim out loud. I grabbed the fleece blanket that lay folded at the end of the bed – I didn't remember that being there before – and wrapped it around myself, then opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. It was quiet. I wondered if Jasper was even there. Maybe he had gone hunting… But then I saw the low fire flickering in the hearth at the bottom of the stairs and knew he must be nearby. I was not going to seek him out, though. Instead, I sat down on the couch, on the end nearest the fireplace, and curled my feet under me. The waves of warmth emanating from the fireplace washed over me.

Knowing Jasper's talent for hiding in the shadows, I half-expected that he was somewhere in the room, watching my every move. But I didn't look for him. I didn't want him to think that he had any advantage over me whatsoever – not even a spatial one.

I had to admit, it was peaceful here. The cabin was dark and quiet – just, as I suspected, how Jasper liked it. But it was how I liked it, too. It was odd, how much I had changed in that respect. I could still remember how much I had missed the Phoenix sunshine when I first moved to Forks, how much I had hated the near-constant cover of clouds there. But my time with the Cullens had changed that. Now I almost preferred a dark sky. So winter in Alaska suited me just fine. As did the darkness of the cabin.

JASPER

She looked so peaceful, so content sitting there on my couch, wrapped in the blanket I had left for her this morning. If I hadn't felt it for myself, I never would have believed that only a few hours ago she had been in such pain it felt like she was going to rip in half. This human continually surprised me – she was _not _what she seemed.

BELLA

He was there – somewhere. I knew it. I could sense him. _That _fact was a little disturbing. Being able to sense Jasper Hale was not something that I even needed to do. It was something that I had been able to do with Edward, because I had been so in-tune with him. I didn't want to venture a guess as to why it seemed I could do the same with Jasper. But I could. Even now, while I sat with my head back and my eyes closed, I knew that he was in front and to the left of me, standing in the curve of the bay window, framed in darkness.

"Oh, for God's sake, Jasper, quit hiding in the shadows," I said, my voice impatient.

"I didn't want to disturb you," he said quietly, moving forward from exactly the spot I knew he would.

"It's a little late for that," I said, low enough to be considered a mutter, but I knew he heard me.

He arched an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"Meaning, I hate that you're here, intruding on the life I've built." There was no heat in my voice, only resignation.

"Likewise," he returned, in much the same tone.

"I was here first," I said, shooting him a pointed look.

"No, you weren't." He sat down in the chair opposite me. "You just got here in between visits."

He had me there. The Cullens had been friends with the Denali clan for many years, and visited them regularly, even living with them for short periods of time.

"Whatever." I didn't want to argue inane details – it seemed pointless. Especially when what I really wanted was just one good shot at him. It'd probably break my hand if I gave him a good right cross. But I almost thought that it'd be worth it. Just to see the surprise on his face. And to feel the satisfaction.

Jasper whistled a low whistle and gave me an appreciative look.

"What?" I demanded.

"The depth of your anger toward me is impressive."

"You get out of my head."

"Not in your _head," _he corrected.

I glared at him. He had said something like that to me before. But I didn't know exactly _how _his gift worked. I didn't like him using it on me. I leaned forward, intent.

"Whatever," I said again. "You haven't seen anger yet. But you keep doing that and you will." I realized that my threat was completely ridiculous. After all, what could I possibly do to him? But it made me feel better to say it, anyway.

"You want me to block you out?" he asked.

I looked at him closely. He seemed serious.

"Absolutely, yes," I said.

"OK." He shrugged his shoulders casually.

"OK?" I asked suspiciously.

"OK," he repeated.

"Just like that?" I was still eyeing him cautiously.

"Just like that."

I leaned back, utterly defeated. "Huh."

JASPER

I had absolutely no intentions of blocking her out. That would be stupid, like making myself blind. No, her emotions were revealing more to me than she could ever imagine. There was no way I was giving up that advantage. She didn't need to know that, though. If thinking that I wasn't getting a read on her would make her drop her guard, then I would let her believe it. It could only help me. And perhaps I would come to understand her, this walking contradiction of a human that my brother loved so deeply.

BELLA

Well, at least we got that settled. Jasper's ability to sense what I was feeling had given him an advantage I did not have. And I didn't understand why he would have given it up so readily and agreeably. But I was glad he had. It made me feel like we were on semi-even footing. Minus his super-human strength, speed, and senses, of course. But I was content with the fact that he wouldn't be able to use my emotions against me. After all, wasn't it enough that I couldn't seem control them anymore myself?

He was still looking at me, though, with eyes a shade that was familiar but a shape that was not. It reminded me that I did not know Jasper very well. I didn't know what I should expect from him, and I didn't know what he expected from me.

And I didn't like the way he was looking at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Pardon?"

Damn that innocent look on his face.

"Why are you staring at me?" The man was infuriating.

Jasper shrugged, leaning forward in his chair. "I don't remember you being beautiful."

The honest answer rendered me speechless for a moment. No one had ever called me beautiful. Except Edward. Oh, Jacob made playful comments here and there about me being a "hottie" but that was definitely not the same as beautiful. And that was Jacob.

"That's because I'm not," I said flatly.

Jasper sighed. "Do you have to argue about everything?"

"I'm not arguing…" I trailed off when he raised an eyebrow pointedly. Damn. I decided it was best to change the subject.

"Well, it's been lovely, but I think I should be going now. You said you'd take me back today. So please, take me back."

"Can't."

"Can't or won't?" I challenged.

"Can't," Jasper repeated. "The weather's still bad – hasn't let up at all. If anything, it's gotten worse."

"Really?" It was hard to imagine anything worse than last night.

"Yeah. Looks like you and I are going to have to survive in each other's company for a little while longer."

Then the bastard winked at me.

"Survive?" It was an interesting choice of words.

"Figuratively speaking, of course," he said, bowing his head in a show of humility.

But I couldn't stop the small shiver from running down my spine.


End file.
